Cotton cultivar UA 107

ABSTRACT

A novel cotton cultivar, designated UA 107, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of cotton cultivar UA 107, to the plants and plant parts of cotton UA 107 and to methods for producing a cotton plant produced by crossing the cultivar UA 107 with itself or another cotton variety. The invention also relates to methods of using cotton cultivar UA 107 and products derived therefrom. The invention also relates to methods for producing a cotton plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic cotton plants and plant parts produced by those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid cotton seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar UA 107 with another cotton cultivar.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cotton cultivar(Gossypium), designated UA 107. This invention further relates to amethod for producing cotton seed, cotton plants, and cotton hybrids. Allpublications cited in this application are herein incorporated byreference.

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, orprotective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genusGossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose ofcotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal.

Cotton fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make asoft, breathable textile. The use of cotton for fabric is known to dateto prehistoric times; fragments of cotton fabric dated from 5000 BC havebeen excavated in Mexico and Pakistan. Although cultivated sinceantiquity, it was the invention of the cotton gin that so lowered thecost of production that led to its widespread use, and it is the mostwidely used natural fiber cloth in clothing today.

There are four commercially-grown species of cotton, including Gossypiumhirsutum, also known as upland cotton, which makes up 90% of the worldproduction of cotton. Current estimates for world production are about25 million tons annually, accounting for 2.5% of the world's arableland. China is the world's largest producer of cotton, but most of thisis used domestically. The United States has been the largest exporterfor many years.

There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirableplant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definitionof problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishmentof program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives.The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meetthe program goals. The goal is to combine in a single cultivar animproved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. Incotton, the important traits include higher fiber (lint) yield, earliermaturity, improved fiber quality, resistance to diseases and insects,resistance to drought and heat, and improved agronomic traits.

Cotton is an important and valuable field crop. Thus, a continuing goalof cotton plant breeders is to develop stable, high yielding cottoncultivars that are agronomically sound and have resistance to diseases.The reasons for this goal are obviously to maximize the amount andquality of the fiber produced on the land used and to supply fiber, oil,and food for animals and humans. To accomplish this goal, the cottonbreeder must select and develop plants that have the traits that resultin superior cultivars.

The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations relatedtherewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Otherlimitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill inthe art upon a reading of the specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described inconjunction with systems, tools, and methods which are meant to beexemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In variousembodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have beenreduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to otherimprovements.

The present invention relates to a cotton seed, a cotton plant and plantparts thereof, a cotton cultivar, and a method for producing a cottonplant.

The present invention further relates to a method of producing cottonseeds and plants by crossing a plant of the instant invention withanother cotton plant. The invention also relates to the plants or plantpart(s) thereof having all of the phenotypic and morphologicalcharacteristics of cotton cultivar UA 107, and to methods for producinga cotton plant produced by crossing cotton variety UA 107 with itself orwith another cotton line, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis,genetic modification or transformation of cotton cultivar UA 107.

One aspect of the present invention relates to seed of the cottoncultivar UA 107. The invention also relates to plants produced bygrowing the seed of the cotton variety UA 107, as well as thederivatives of such plants. As used herein, the term “plant” includesplant cells, plant protoplasts, plant cells of a tissue culture fromwhich cotton plants can be regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, andplant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants, such aspollen, flowers, seeds, bolls, leaves, stems, and the like.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a tissue culture ofregenerable cells of the cotton cultivar UA 107, as well as plantsregenerated therefrom, wherein the regenerated cotton plant expressesall the physiological and morphological characteristics of a plant grownfrom the cotton seed designated UA 107.

Yet another aspect of the current invention is a cotton plant of thecotton cultivar UA 107 further comprising a single locus conversion. Inone embodiment, the cotton plant is defined as comprising the singlelocus conversion and otherwise capable of expressing all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the cotton variety UA107. In particular embodiments of the invention, the single locusconversion may comprise a transgenic gene which has been introduced bygenetic transformation into the cotton variety UA 107 or a progenitorthereof. A transgenic or non-transgenic single locus conversion can alsobe introduced by backcrossing, as is well known in the art. In certainembodiments of the invention, the single locus conversion may comprise adominant or recessive allele. The locus conversion may conferpotentially any desired trait upon the plant as described herein.

The invention further relates to methods for genetically modifying acotton plant of the cotton cultivar UA 107 and to the modified cottonplant produced by those methods. The genetic modification methods mayinclude, but are not limited to mutation breeding, genome editing, genesilencing, backcross conversion, genetic transformation, single andmultiple gene conversion, and/or direct gene transfer.

The invention also relates to methods for producing a cotton plantcontaining in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to thetransgenic cotton plant produced by those methods.

Still yet another aspect of the invention relates to a first generation(F₁) hybrid cotton seed produced by crossing a plant of the cottoncultivar UA 107 to a second cotton plant. Also included in the inventionare the F₁ hybrid cotton plants grown from the hybrid seed produced bycrossing the cotton variety UA 107 to a second cotton plant. Stillfurther included in the invention are the seeds of an F₁ hybrid plantproduced with the cotton variety UA 107 as one parent, the secondgeneration (F₂) hybrid cotton plant grown from the seed of the F₁ hybridplant, and the seeds of the F₂ hybrid plant.

In a further aspect of the invention, a composition is providedcomprising a seed of cotton cultivar UA 107 comprised in plant seedgrowth media. In certain embodiments, the plant seed growth media is asoil or synthetic cultivation medium. In specific embodiments, thegrowth medium may be comprised in a container or may, for example, besoil in a field. Plant seed growth media are well known to those ofskill in the art and include, but are in no way limited to, soil orsynthetic cultivation medium. Advantageously, plant seed growth mediacan provide adequate physical support for seeds and can retain moistureand/or nutritional components. Examples of characteristics for soilsthat may be desirable in certain embodiments can be found, for instance,in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,932,166 and 4,707,176. Synthetic plant cultivationmedia are also well known in the art and may, in certain embodiments,comprise polymers or hydrogels. Examples of such compositions aredescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,537.

Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method of producingcotton seeds comprising crossing a plant of the cotton variety UA 107 toany second cotton plant, including itself or another plant of thevariety UA 107. In particular embodiments of the invention, the methodof crossing comprises the steps of: (a) planting seeds of the cottoncultivar UA 107; (b) cultivating cotton plants resulting from said seedsuntil said plants bear flowers; (c) allowing fertilization of theflowers of said plants; and (d) harvesting seeds produced from saidplants.

Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method of producinghybrid cotton seeds comprising crossing the cotton cultivar UA 107 to asecond, distinct cotton plant which is nonisogenic to the cotton varietyUA 107. In particular embodiments of the invention, the crossingcomprises the steps of: (a) planting seeds of cotton variety UA 107 anda second, distinct cotton plant; (b) cultivating the cotton plants grownfrom the seeds until the plants bear flowers; (c) cross pollinating aflower on one of the two plants with the pollen of the other plant; and(d) harvesting the seeds resulting from the cross pollinating.

Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method for developing acotton plant in a cotton breeding program comprising: (a) obtaining acotton plant, or its parts, of the cultivar UA 107; and (b) employingsaid plant or parts as a source of breeding material using plantbreeding techniques. In the method, the plant breeding techniques may beselected from the group consisting of recurrent selection, massselection, bulk selection, backcrossing, pedigree breeding, geneticmarker-assisted selection, and genetic transformation. In certainembodiments of the invention, the cotton plant of variety UA 107 is usedas the male or female parent.

Still yet another aspect of the invention is a method of producing acotton plant derived from the cotton cultivar UA 107, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived fromcotton variety UA 107 by crossing a plant of the cotton variety UA 107with a second cotton plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant withitself or a second plant to produce a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration which is derived from a plant of the cotton variety UA 107.In one embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises: (c)crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or asecond plant; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for at least 2-10additional generations to produce an inbred cotton plant derived fromthe cotton variety UA 107. Also provided by the invention is a plantproduced by this and the other methods of the invention. Cotton varietyUA 107-derived plants produced by this and the other methods of theinvention described herein may, in certain embodiments of the invention,be further defined as comprising the traits of cotton variety UA 107listed in Table 1.

The invention further relates to a method of producing a commodity plantproduct from cotton cultivar UA 107, such as lint, seed oil, or seed,and to the commodity plant product produced by the method.

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term“comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” butit is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,”and “one or more than one.”

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and the specificexamples, while indicating specific embodiments of the invention, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above,further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by study of thefollowing descriptions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the description and tables which follow, a number of terms are used.In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms,the following definitions are provided:

Allele. Allele is any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus,all of which relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell ororganism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on apair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing. Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedlycrosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for example, a firstgeneration hybrid F₁ with one of the parental genotypes of the F₁hybrid. Backcrossing can be used to introduce one or more single locusconversions from one genetic background into another.

Boll. The seed-bearing capsule of certain plants, especially cotton andflax.

Crossing. The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination. Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Desired Agronomic Characteristics. Agronomic characteristics (which willvary from crop to crop and plant to plant) such as yield, maturity, pestresistance and lint percent which are desired in a commerciallyacceptable crop or plant. For example, improved agronomiccharacteristics for cotton include yield, maturity, fiber content andfiber qualities.

Diploid. A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Disease Resistance. As used herein, the term “disease resistance” isdefined as the ability of plants to restrict the activities of aspecified pest, such as an insect, fungus, virus, or bacteria.

Disease Tolerance. As used herein, the term “disease tolerance” isdefined as the ability of plants to endure a specified pest (such as aninsect, fungus, virus or bacteria) or an adverse environmental conditionand still perform and produce in spite of this disorder.

Donor Parent. The parent of a variety which contains the gene or traitof interest which is desired to be introduced into a second variety.

Emasculate. The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor conferring malesterility or a chemical agent.

Essentially all of the physiological and morphological characteristics.A plant having essentially all of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of a designated plant has all of the characteristics ofthe plant that are otherwise present when compared in the sameenvironment, other than an occasional variant trait that might ariseduring backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Elongation (E1). As used herein, the term “elongation” is defined as themeasure of elasticity of a bundle of fibers as measured by HVI.

F₁ Hybrid. The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Fiber Characteristics. Refers to fiber qualities such as strength, fiberlength, micronaire, fiber elongation, uniformity of fiber and amount offiber.

Fiber Strength (T1). As used herein, the term “strength” is defined asthe force required to break a bundle of fibers as measured in grams permillitex on the HVI.

Fruiting Nodes. As used herein, the term “fruiting nodes” is defined asthe number of nodes on the main stem from which arise branches whichbear fruit or bolls.

Genetically modified. Describes an organism that has received geneticmaterial from another organism, or had its genetic material modified,resulting in a change in one or more of its phenotypic characteristics.Methods used to modify, introduce or delete the genetic material mayinclude mutation breeding, genome editing, RNA interference, genesilencing, backcross conversion, genetic transformation, single andmultiple gene conversion, and/or direct gene transfer.

Genome editing. A type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted,replaced, modified or removed from a genome using artificiallyengineered nucleases or other targeted changes using homologousrecombination. Examples include but are not limited to use of zincfinger nucleases (ZFNs), TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) andCRISPR/Cas9. (Ma et. al., Molecular Plant, 9:961-974 (2016); Belhaj et.al., Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 32:76-84 (2015)).

Genotype. The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Gin Turnout. As used herein, the term “gin turnout” is defined as afraction of lint in a machine harvested sample of seed cotton (lint,seed, and trash).

Haploid. A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

HVI. High Volume Instrumentation is a quality determination system usedfor cotton. Considered the standard USDA classing system.

Length. As used herein, the term “length” is defined as 2.5% span lengthin inches of fiber as measured by High Volume Instrumentation (HVI).

Linkage. A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Lint/Boll. As used herein, the term “lint/boll” is the weight of lintper boll.

Lint Index. As used herein, the term “lint index” refers to the weightof lint per seed in milligrams.

Lint Percent. As used herein, the term “lint percent” is defined as thelint (fiber) fraction of seed cotton (lint and seed). Also known as lintturnout.

Lint Yield. As used herein, the term “lint yield” is defined as themeasure of the quantity of fiber produced on a given unit of land.Presented below in pounds of lint per acre.

Maturity. As used herein, the term “maturity” is defined as the HVImachine rating which refers to the degree of development of thickeningof the fiber cell wall relative to the perimeter or effective diameterof the fiber.

Maturity Rating. As used herein, the term “maturity rating” is definedas a visual rating near harvest on the amount of opened bolls on theplant.

Micronaire. As used herein, the term “micronaire” is defined as ameasure of the fineness of the fiber. Within a cotton cultivar,micronaire is also a measure of maturity. Micronaire differences aregoverned by changes in perimeter or in cell wall thickness, or bychanges in both. Within a cultivar, cotton perimeter is fairly constantand maturity will cause a change in micronaire. Consequently, micronairehas a high correlation with maturity within a variety of cotton.Maturity is the degree of development of cell wall thickness. Micronairemay not have a good correlation with maturity between varieties ofcotton having different fiber perimeter. Micronaire values range fromabout 2.0 to 6.0:

TABLE A Below 2.9 Very fine Possible small perimeter but mature (goodfiber), or large perimeter but immature (bad fiber). 2.9 to 3.7 FineVarious degrees of maturity and/or perimeter. 3.8 to 4.6 Average Averagedegree of maturity and/or perimeter. 4.7 to 5.5 Coarse Usuallyfully-developed (mature), but larger perimeter. 5.6+ Very coarseFully-developed, large-perimeter fiber.

Phenotype. The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Plant Height. As used herein, the term “plant height” is defined as theaverage height in inches or centimeters of a group of plants.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Recurrent Parent. The repeating parent (variety) in a backcross breedingprogram. The recurrent parent is the variety into which a gene or traitis desired to be introduced.

Regeneration. The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Seed/boll. As used herein, the term “seed/boll” refers to the number ofseeds per boll.

Seedcotton/boll. As used herein, the term “seedcotton/boll” refers tothe weight of seedcotton per boll.

Self-pollination. The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant or a plant of the same genotype.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant. Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing or via geneticengineering wherein essentially all of the morphological andphysiological characteristics of a variety are recovered in addition tothe characteristics conferred by the single locus transferred into thevariety via the backcrossing technique or via genetic engineering. Asingle locus may comprise one gene, or in the case of transgenic plants,one or more transgenes integrated into the host genome at a single site(locus).

Tissue Culture. A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene. A nucleic acid of interest that can be introduced into thegenome of a plant by genetic engineering techniques (e.g.,transformation) or breeding.

Vegetative Nodes. As used herein, the term “vegetative nodes” is definedas the number of nodes from the cotyledonary node to the first fruitingbranch on the main stem of the plant.

Cotton cultivar UA 107 is an upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum variety.UA 107 is an open-canopy (okra leaf) variety with glabrous leaves andlow trichome density on the stems and bract margins. Cotton cultivar UA107 is earlier maturing than most cultivars adapted to the MississippiRiver Delta, and has fiber quality equal to cotton UA 222 (U.S. Pat. No.8,859,862) and is superior to most varieties. In addition, cottoncultivar UA 107 has high resistance to bacterial blight.

Cotton cultivar UA 107 was derived from a cross between cotton linesUAl03 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,552,274) and Arkot 9704 (Bourland and Jones,2009) made at the Northeast Research and Extension Center (Keiser, AR)in 2007, and was developed as part of an ongoing effort to developimproved cotton lines having enhanced yield, yield components,earliness, host plant resistance, and fiber properties. The F₁population was increased at the USDA/ARS Tecomán Cotton Winter BreedingNursery (Tecomán, Mexico). The F₂ and F₃ populations were seeded andthinned to uniform plant densities (approximately 6 plants^(−row m)) atKeiser in 2008 and 2009, respectively. In each year, bulk selections ofbolls were made from visually superior individual plants after bacterialblight susceptible and morphological off-type plants were removed.Individual plants were selected from the F₄ generation, which was grownat Keiser in 2010. Seed from these selections were evaluated as progenyrows at Keiser and Judd Hill in 2011 and as advanced progenies atKeiser, Marianna, and Rohwer in 2012. UA 107 derived its okra-leaf traitfrom its UA 103 parent.

During selection, nurseries and seed increases of UA 107 plants wereinoculated with multiple races (including race 18) of Xanthomonas citrissp. malvacearum (ex Smith 1901) Schaad et al. 2007, the causal agent ofbacterial blight using field inoculation procedures described by Birdand Blank (1951). Susceptible plants were rogued from theearly-generation populations and subsequent seed increases.

In most tests, cotton cultivar UA 107 produced lint yields greater thantwo well-adapted conventional cotton varieties, DP 393 (U.S. Pat. No.6,930,228 and U.S. PVP 200400266) and UA 48 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,492,618 andU.S. PVP 201100041). Cotton cultivar UA 107 produces it high yields by afavorable combination of basic yield components, which should providehigh yield stability. UA 107 displays high resistance to bacterialblight and is similar to DP 393 in its response to most other diseasesand to tarnished plant bug. The okra-leaf trait of UA 107 helps toreduce effects of boll rots and permits better penetration of pesticidesand crop termination chemicals into the plant canopy. The fiber qualityof cotton variety UA 107 is very good, and in most tests it producedlonger fiber length and lower micronaire (finer fibers) than DP 393.Surprisingly, cotton cultivar UA 107 displays an unusual combination ofhigh yielding ability, favorable yield components, host plantresistance, early maturity and high fiber quality.

The cultivar has shown uniformity and stability, as described in thefollowing Variety Description Information. It has been self-pollinated asufficient number of generations with careful attention to uniformity ofplant type. The cultivar has been increased with continued observationto uniformity. Variety UA 107 shows no variants other than what wouldnormally be expected due to environment or that would occur for almostany characteristic during the course of repeated sexual reproduction.The results of an objective description of the variety are presentedbelow, in Table 1. Those of skill in the art will recognize that theseare typical values that may vary due to environment and that othervalues that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of theinvention.

Cotton cultivar UA 107 has the following morphologic and othercharacteristics from data taken primarily in Arkansas.

TABLE 1 VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATION Species: Gossypium hirsutum L.General: Plant Habit: Open-canopy (okra-leaf) Stem Lodging: Noneobserved Fruiting Branch: Normal Growth: Erect, taller than DP 393 andUA 48 Leaf Color: Green Boll Shape: Not determined Boll Breadth: Notdetermined Maturity (Date of 50 % open bolls): Approximately 132 daysafter planting Plant: Cm to 1st Fruiting Branch (from cotyledonarynode): Not determined No. of Nodes to 1st Fruiting Branch (excludingcotyledonary node): Not determined Mature Plant Height (fromcotyledonary node to terminal): 103.0 cm Leaf (Upper-most, fullyexpanded leaf): Type: Smooth Pubescence: Smooth (1.3 rating on scale of1 (smooth) to 9 (pilose)) Stem Pubescence: Smooth (2.6 rating on scaleof 1 (smooth) to 9 (pilose)) Glands: Leaf: Present Stem: Present CalyxLobe: Absent Flower: Petals (color): White Pollen (color): Cream PetalSpot: None Seed: Seed Index: 12.1 g Lint Index: 8.3 g Boll: Lint Percent(picked): 40.3 Number of Seeds per Boll: 23.6 Grams Seed Cotton perBoll: 4.9 Number of Locules per Boll: Not determined Boll Type: NormalFiber Properties: Method (HVI or other): HVI Length (inches, 2.5% SL):1.22 Uniformity (%): 85.8 Strength, T1 (g/tex): 32.4 Elongation, E1 (%):6.3 Micronaire: 4.55 Nematodes, Insects, and Pests: Bacterial Blight(Race 1): Resistant Bacterial Blight (Race 2): Resistant BacterialBlight (Race 18): Resistant Fusarium Wilt: Resistant Verticillium Wilt:Moderately tolerant Root-Knot Nematode: Not tested Tarnished Plant Bug(Lygus lineolaris): Moderately resistant

This invention is also directed to methods for producing a cotton plantby crossing a first parent cotton plant with a second parent cottonplant, wherein the first or second cotton plant is the cotton plant fromthe cultivar UA 107. Further, both the first and second parent cottonplants may be the cultivar UA 107 (e.g., self-pollination). Therefore,any methods using the cultivar UA 107 are part of this invention:selfing, backcrosses, hybrid breeding, and crosses to populations. Anyplants produced using cultivar UA 107 as parents are within the scope ofthis invention. As used herein, the term “plant” includes plant cells,plant protoplasts, plant cells of tissue culture from which cottonplants can be regenerated, plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cellsthat are intact in plants or parts of plants, such as pollen, flowers,embryos, ovules, seeds, leaves, stems, roots, anthers, pistils, and thelike. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide for cellswhich upon growth and differentiation produce a cultivar havingessentially all of the physiological and morphological characteristicsof UA 107.

The present invention contemplates a cotton plant regenerated from atissue culture of a cultivar (e.g., UA 107) or hybrid plant of thepresent invention. As is well known in the art, tissue culture of cottoncan be used for the in vitro regeneration of a cotton plant. Tissueculture of various tissues of cotton and regeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published.

Further Embodiments of the Invention

The development of new cotton cultivars requires the evaluation andselection of parents and the crossing of these parents. The lack ofpredictable success of a given cross requires that a breeder, in anygiven year, make several crosses with the same or different breedingobjectives.

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for crossing thecotton cultivar UA 107 with itself or a second plant and the seeds andplants produced by such methods. These methods can be used forpropagation of the cotton variety UA 107, or can be used to producehybrid cotton seeds and the plants grown therefrom. A hybrid plant canbe used as a recurrent parent at any given stage in a backcrossingprotocol during the production of a single locus conversion of thecotton variety UA 107.

The variety of the present invention is well suited to the developmentof new varieties based on the elite nature of the genetic background ofthe variety. In selecting a second plant to cross with UA 107 for thepurpose of developing novel cotton varieties, it will typically bedesired to choose those plants which themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics. Examples of potentially desiredcharacteristics include higher fiber (lint) yield, earlier maturity,improved fiber quality, resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance todrought and heat, and improved agronomic traits.

Any time the cotton cultivar UA 107 is crossed with another, different,variety, first generation (F₁) cotton progeny are produced. The hybridprogeny are produced regardless of characteristics of the two varietiesproduced. As such, an F₁ hybrid cotton plant may be produced by crossingUA 107 with any second cotton plant. The second cotton plant may begenetically homogeneous (e.g., inbred) or may itself be a hybrid.Therefore, any F₁ hybrid cotton plant produced by crossing cottoncultivar UA 107 with a second cotton plant is a part of the presentinvention.

Cotton Breeding Techniques

Cotton plants can be crossed by either natural or mechanical techniques.Natural pollination occurs in cotton either by self pollination ornatural cross pollination, which typically is aided by pollinatingorganisms. In either natural or artificial crosses, flowering andflowering time are important considerations. The cotton flower ismonoecious in that the male and female structures are in the sameflower. The crossed or hybrid seed can be produced by manual crossesbetween selected parents. Floral buds of the parent that is to be thefemale are emasculated prior to the opening of the flower by manualremoval of the male anthers. At flowering, the pollen from flowers ofthe parent plants designated as male, are manually placed on the stigmaof the previous emasculated flower. Seed developed from the cross isknown as first generation (F₁) hybrid seed. Planting of this seedproduces F₁ hybrid plants of which half their genetic component is fromthe female parent and half from the male parent. Segregation of genesbegins at meiosis thus producing second generation (F₂) seed. Assumingmultiple genetic differences between the original parents, each F₂ seedhas a unique combination of genes.

Self-pollination occurs naturally in cotton with no manipulation of theflowers. For the crossing of two cotton plants, it may be beneficial touse artificial hybridization. In artificial hybridization, the flowerused as a female in a cross is manually cross pollinated prior tomaturation of pollen from the flower, thereby preventing selffertilization, or alternatively, the male parts of the flower areemasculated using a technique known in the art. Techniques foremasculating the male parts of a cotton flower include, for example,physical removal of the male parts, use of a genetic factor conferringmale sterility, and application of a chemical gametocide to the maleparts.

For artificial hybridization employing emasculation, flowers that areexpected to open the following day are selected on the female parent.The buds are swollen and the corolla is just visible through the calyxor has begun to emerge. Usually no more than two buds on a parent plantare prepared, and all self-pollinated flowers or immature buds areremoved with forceps. Special care is required to remove immature budsthat are hidden under the stipules at the leaf axil, and could developinto flowers at a later date. The flower is grasped between the thumband index finger and the location of the stigma determined by examiningthe sepals. The calyx is removed by grasping a sepal with the forceps,pulling it down and around the flower, and repeating the procedure untilthe five sepals are removed. The exposed corolla is removed with care toavoid injuring the stigma. Cross-pollination can then be carried outusing, for example, petri dishes or envelopes in which male flowers havebeen collected. Desiccators containing calcium chloride crystals can beused in some environments to dry male flowers to obtain adequate pollenshed.

Either with or without emasculation of the female flower, handpollination can be carried out by removing the stamens and pistil with aforceps from a flower of the male parent and gently brushing the anthersagainst the stigma of the female flower. Access to the stamens can beachieved by removing the front sepal and keel petals, or piercing thekeel with closed forceps and allowing them to open to push the petalsaway. Brushing the anthers on the stigma causes them to rupture, and thehighest percentage of successful crosses is obtained when pollen isclearly visible on the stigma. Pollen shed can be checked by tapping theanthers before brushing the stigma. Several male flowers may have to beused to obtain suitable pollen shed when conditions are unfavorable, orthe same male may be used to pollinate several flowers with good pollenshed.

Cross-pollination is more common within rows than between adjacent rows;therefore, it may be beneficial to grow populations with genetic malesterility on a square grid to create rows in all directions. Forexample, single plant hills on 50-cm centers may be used, withsubdivision of the area into blocks of an equal number of hills forharvest from bulks of an equal amount of seed from male-sterile plantsin each block to enhance random pollination.

Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plantreproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and thetype of cultivar used commercially (e.g., F₁ hybrid cultivar, purelinecultivar, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superiorindividual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective,whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based onmean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of relatedplants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection,modified pedigree selection, mass selection, recurrent selection, andbackcrossing.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes fora highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach hasbeen used extensively for breeding disease-resistant plant cultivars.Various recurrent selection techniques are used to improvequantitatively inherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use ofrecurrent selection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease ofpollination, the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination,and the number of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.

Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation ofthe efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria varydepending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain fromselection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard,overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successfulcultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollarexpended, etc.).

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s) for generally three or more years. The best lines arecandidates to become new commercial cultivars. Those lines stilldeficient in a few traits are discarded or may be utilized as parents toproduce new populations for further selection.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, may take as much as eight to twelve years from the timethe first cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior because for most traits the true genotypic value ismasked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors. Onemethod of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performancerelative to other experimental lines and widely grown standardcultivars. For many traits a single observation is inconclusive, andreplicated observations over time and space are required to provide agood estimate of a line's genetic worth.

The goal of a commercial cotton breeding program is to develop new,unique, and superior cotton cultivars. The breeder initially selects andcrosses two or more parental lines, followed by repeated selfing andselection, thus producing many new genetic combinations. The breeder cantheoretically generate billions of different genetic combinations viathis procedure. The breeder has no direct control over which geneticcombinations will arise in the limited population size which is grown.Therefore, two breeders will never develop the same line having the sametraits.

Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to thenext generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and differentgeographical, climatic, and soil conditions, and further selections arethen made, during and at the end of the growing season. The lines whichare developed are unpredictable. This unpredictability is because thebreeder's selection occurs in unique environments, with no control atthe DNA level (using conventional breeding procedures), and withmillions of different possible genetic combinations being generated. Abreeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resultinglines he develops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion.The same breeder cannot produce, with any reasonable likelihood, thesame cultivar twice by using the exact same original parents and thesame selection techniques. This unpredictability results in theexpenditure of large amounts of research moneys to develop superior newcotton cultivars.

This invention also is directed to methods for producing a cotton plantby crossing a first parent cotton plant with a second parent cottonplant wherein the first or second parent cotton plant is a cotton plantof the cultivar UA 107. Further, both first and second parent cottonplants can come from the cotton cultivar UA 107. Additionally, the firstor second parent cotton plants can be either Gossypium hirsutum orGossypium barbadense, or any other cotton plant. Thus, any such methodsusing the cotton cultivar UA 107 are part of this invention: selfing,backcrosses, hybrid production, crosses to populations, and the like.All plants produced using cotton cultivar UA 107 as a parent are withinthe scope of this invention, including those developed from varietiesderived from cotton cultivar UA 107. Advantageously, the cotton cultivarcould be used in crosses with other, different, cotton plants to producefirst generation (F₁) cotton hybrid seeds and plants with superiorcharacteristics. The other, different, cotton plants may be Gossypiumhirsutum or Gossypium barbadense or another cotton cultivar. Thecultivar of the invention can also be used for transformation whereexogenous genes are introduced and expressed by the cultivar of theinvention. Genetic variants created either through traditional breedingmethods using cultivar UA 107 or through transformation of UA 107 by anyof a number of protocols known to those of skill in the art are intendedto be within the scope of this invention.

The following describes breeding methods that may be used with cultivarUA 107 in the development of further cotton plants. One such embodimentis a method for developing a UA 107 progeny cotton plant in a cottonplant breeding program comprising: obtaining the cotton plant, or a partthereof, of cultivar UA 107, utilizing said plant or plant part as asource of breeding material, and selecting a UA 107 progeny plant withmolecular markers in common with UA 107 and/or with morphological and/orphysiological characteristics selected from the characteristics listedin Table 1. Breeding steps that may be used in the cotton plant breedingprogram include pedigree breeding, backcrossing, mutation breeding, andrecurrent selection. In conjunction with these steps, techniques such asRFLP-enhanced selection, genetic marker enhanced selection (for example,SSR markers), and the making of double haploids may be utilized.

Another method involves producing a population of cultivar UA 107progeny cotton plants, comprising crossing cultivar UA 107 with anothercotton plant, thereby producing a population of cotton plants, which, onaverage, derive 50% of their alleles from cultivar UA 107. The othercotton plant may be Gossypium hirsutum or Gossypium barbadense or anyother cotton plant. A plant of this population may be selected andrepeatedly selfed or sibbed with a cotton cultivar resulting from thesesuccessive filial generations. One embodiment of this invention is thecotton cultivar produced by this method and that has obtained at least50% of its alleles from cultivar UA 107.

One of ordinary skill in the art of plant breeding would know how toevaluate the traits of two plant varieties to determine if there is nosignificant difference between the two traits expressed by thosevarieties. For example, see Fehr and Walt, Principles of CultivarDevelopment, pp. 261-286 (1987). Thus the invention includes cottoncultivar UA 107 progeny cotton plants comprising a combination of atleast two UA 107 traits selected from the group consisting of thoselisted in Table 1 or the UA 107 combination of traits listed in theDetailed Description of the Invention, so that said progeny cotton plantis not significantly different for said traits than cotton cultivar UA107 as determined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironment. Using techniques described herein, molecular markers may beused to identify said progeny plant as a UA 107 progeny plant. Meantrait values may be used to determine whether trait differences aresignificant, and preferably the traits are measured on plants grownunder the same environmental conditions. Once such a variety isdeveloped its value is substantial since it is important to advance thegermplasm base as a whole in order to maintain or improve traits such asyield, disease resistance, pest resistance, and plant performance inextreme environmental conditions.

Progeny of cultivar UA 107 may also be characterized through theirfilial relationship with cotton cultivar UA 107, as for example, beingwithin a certain number of breeding crosses of cotton cultivar UA 107. Abreeding cross is a cross made to introduce new genetics into theprogeny, and is distinguished from a cross, such as a self or a sibcross, made to select among existing genetic alleles. The lower thenumber of breeding crosses in the pedigree, the closer the relationshipbetween cotton cultivar UA 107 and its progeny. For example, progenyproduced by the methods described herein may be within 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5breeding crosses of cotton cultivar UA 107.

Additional Breeding Techniques

Pureline cultivars of cotton are commonly bred by hybridization of twoor more parents followed by selection. The complexity of inheritance,the breeding objectives, and the available resources influence thebreeding method. The development of new varieties requires developmentand selection, the crossing of varieties and selection of progeny fromsuperior crosses.

Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used todevelop varieties from breeding populations. Breeding programs combinedesirable traits from two or more varieties or various broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which varieties are developed byselfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new varieties areevaluated to determine which have commercial potential.

Pedigree breeding is primarily used to combine favorable genes into atotally new cultivar that is different in many traits than either parentused in the original cross. It is commonly used for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops. Two parents which possess favorable,complementary traits are crossed to produce an F₁ (filial generation 1).An F₂ population is produced by selfing one or several F₁ plants.Selection of desirable individual plants may begin as early as the F₂generation wherein maximum gene segregation occurs or later dependingupon the objectives of the breeder. Individual plant selection can occurfor one or more generations. Successively, seed from each selected plantcan be planted in individual, identified rows or hills, known as progenyrows or progeny hills, to evaluate the line and to increase the seedquantity, or to further select individual plants. Once a progeny row orprogeny hill is selected as having desirable traits, it becomes what isknown as a breeding line that is specifically identifiable from otherbreeding lines that were derived from the same original population. Atan advanced generation (i.e., F₅ or higher) seed of individual lines areevaluated in replicated testing. At an advanced stage the best lines ora mixture of phenotypically similar lines from the same original crossare tested for potential release as new cultivars.

Mass and recurrent selections can be used to improve populations ofeither self- or cross-pollinating crops. A genetically variablepopulation of heterozygous individuals is either identified or createdby intercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selectedbased on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellentcombining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a newpopulation in which further cycles of selection are continued.

The single seed descent procedure in the strict sense refers to plantinga segregating population, harvesting one seed from every plant, andusing the one-seed sample to plant the next generation. When thepopulation has been advanced to the desired level of inbreeding, theplants from which lines are derived will each trace to different F₂individuals. Primary advantages of the seed descent procedures are todelay selection until a high level of homozygosity (e.g., lack of genesegregation) is achieved in individual plants, and to move through theseearly generations quickly, usually through using winter nurseries.

The modified single seed descent procedures involve harvesting multipleseed (i.e., a single lock or a simple boll) from each plant in apopulation and combining them to form a bulk. Part of the bulk is usedto plant the next generation and part is put in reserve. This procedurehas been used to save labor at harvest and to maintain adequate seedquantities of the population. The multiple-seed procedure may be used tosave labor. It is considerably faster to gin bolls with a machine thanto remove one seed by hand for the single-seed procedure. Themultiple-seed procedure also makes it possible to plant the same numberof seeds of a population each generation of inbreeding. Enough seeds areharvested to make up for those plants that did not germinate or produceseed.

Selection for desirable traits can occur at any segregating generation(F₂ and above). Selection pressure is exerted on a population by growingthe population in an environment where the desired trait is maximallyexpressed and the individuals or lines possessing the trait can beidentified. For instance, selection can occur for disease resistancewhen the plants or lines are grown in natural or artificially-induceddisease environments, and the breeder selects only those individualshaving little or no disease and are thus assumed to be resistant.

Mutation breeding is another method of introducing new traits intocotton varieties. Mutations that occur spontaneously or are artificiallyinduced can be useful sources of variability for a plant breeder. Thegoal of artificial mutagenesis is to increase the rate of mutation for adesired characteristic. Mutation rates can be increased by manydifferent means including temperature, long-term seed storage, tissueculture conditions, radiation (such as X-rays, Gamma rays, neutrons,Beta radiation, or ultraviolet radiation), chemical mutagens (such asbase analogues like 5-bromo-uracil), antibiotics, alkylating agents(such as sulfur mustards, nitrogen mustards, epoxides, ethyleneamines,sulfates, sulfonates, sulfones, or lactones), azide, hydroxylamine,nitrous acid, or acridines. Once a desired trait is observed throughmutagenesis the trait may then be incorporated into existing germplasmby traditional breeding techniques. Details of mutation breeding can befound in Principles of Cultivar Development by Fehr, MacmillanPublishing Company (1993).

The production of double haploids can also be used for the developmentof homozygous varieties in a breeding program. Double haploids areproduced by the doubling of a set of chromosomes from a heterozygousplant to produce a completely homozygous individual. For example, seeWan, et al., Theor. Appl. Genet., 77:889-892 (1989).

Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used fordifferent traits and crops can be found in one of several referencebooks (e.g., Allard, In: Principles of plant breeding, John Wiley &Sons, NY University of California, Davis, Calif., 50-98, 1960; Simmonds,In: Principles of crop improvement, Longman, Inc., NY 369-399, 1979;Sneep and Hendriksen, In: Plant breeding perspectives, Wageningen (Ed),Center for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, 1979; Fehr, In:Principles of variety development, Theory and Technique (Vol 1) and CropSpecies Soybean (Vol 2), Iowa State Univ., Macmillian Pub. Co., NY360-376, 1987; Fehr, In: Soybeans: Improvement, Production and Uses, 2dEd., Manograph 16:249, 1987). Additionally, with any of the methodsdisclosed above, mutagenesis can be utilized to increase the diversityof the gene pool that is available in the breeding program.

Proper testing should detect any major faults and establish the level ofsuperiority or improvement over current cultivars. In addition toshowing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new cultivarthat is compatible with industry standards or which creates a newmarket. The introduction of a new cultivar will incur additional coststo the seed producer, and to the grower, processor, and consumer, forspecial advertising, marketing and commercial production practices, andnew product utilization. The testing preceding the release of a newcultivar should take into consideration research and development costsas well as technical superiority of the final cultivar. Forseed-propagated cultivars, it must be feasible to produce seed easilyand economically.

Genetic Analysis

In addition to phenotypic observations, a plant can also becharacterized by its genotype. The genotype of a plant can be determinedby a molecular marker profiling, which can be applied to plants of thesame variety or a related variety, can reveal genetic difference ofplants and plant parts which are genetically superior as a result of anevent comprising a backcross conversion, transgene, or genetic sterilityfactor, and can be used to reveal or validate a pedigree or geneticrelationship among test materials. Such molecular marker profiling canbe accomplished by using a variety of techniques including, but notlimited to, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), amplifiedfragment length polymorphism (AFLP), sequence-tagged sites (STS),randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), arbitrarily primed polymerasechain reaction (AP-PCR), DNA amplification fingerprinting (DAF),sequence characterized amplified regions (SCARs), variable number tandemrepeat (VNTR), short tandem repeat (STR), single feature polymorphism(SFP), simple sequence length polymorphism (SSLP), restriction siteassociated DNA, allozymes, isozyme markers, single nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs), or simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, alsoknown as microsatellites (Gupta et al., 1999; Korzun et al., 2001).Various types of these marker platforms, for example, can be used toidentify individual varieties developed from specific parent varieties,as well as cells, or other plant parts thereof. See, for example, Tyagiet al. (2014) “Genetic diversity and population structure in the USUpland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.),” Theoretical and Applied Genetics127(2): 283-295; Tatineni et al. (1996) “Genetic diversity in elitecotton germplasm determined by morphological characteristics and RAPDs,”Crop Science 36(1):186-192; and Cho et al. (2014) “Genome-wide SNPmarker panel applicable to Cotton Genetic diversity test,” Proceedingsof the International Cotton Genome Initiative Conference 2(1):11, eachof which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

In some examples, one or more markers may be used to examine and/orevaluate genetic characteristics of a cotton variety. Particular markersused for these purposes are not limited to any particular set of markersand diagnostic platforms, but are envisioned to include any type ofmarkers and diagnostic platforms that can provide means fordistinguishing varieties. One method of genetic characterization may touse only homozygous loci for cotton variety UA 107.

Primers and PCR protocols for assaying these and other markers aredisclosed in, for example, CottonGen located on the World Wide Web atcottongen.org. In addition to being used for identification of cottonvariety UA 107, as well as plant parts and plant cells of cotton varietyUA 107, a genetic profile may be used to identify a cotton plantproduced through the use of cotton variety UA 107 or to verify apedigree for progeny plants produced through the use of cotton varietyUA 107. A genetic marker profile may also be useful in breeding anddeveloping backcross conversions.

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a cotton plantcharacterized by molecular and physiological data obtained from arepresentative sample of said variety deposited with the American TypeCulture Collection (ATCC). Thus, plants, seeds, or parts thereof, havingall or essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of cotton variety UA 107 are provided. Further providedis a cotton plant formed by the combination of the disclosed cottonplant or plant cell with another cotton plant or cell and comprising thehomozygous alleles of the variety.

In some examples, a plant, a plant part, or a seed of cotton cultivar UA107 may be characterized by producing a molecular profile. A molecularprofile may include, but is not limited to, one or more genotypic and/orphenotypic profile(s). A genotypic profile may include, but is notlimited to, a marker profile, such as a genetic map, a linkage map, atrait maker profile, a SNP profile, an SSR profile, a genome-wide markerprofile, a haplotype, and the like. A molecular profile may also be anucleic acid sequence profile, and/or a physical map. A phenotypicprofile may include, but is not limited to, a protein expressionprofile, a metabolic profile, an mRNA expression profile, and the like.

One means of performing genetic marker profiling is using SSRpolymorphisms that are well known in the art. A marker system based onSSRs can be highly informative in linkage analysis relative to othermarker systems, in that multiple alleles for a given locus may bepresent. Another advantage of this type of marker is that through use offlanking primers, collecting more informative SSR data can be relativelyeasily achieved, for example, by using the polymerase chain reaction(PCR), thereby eliminating the need for labor-intensive Southernhybridization. PCR detection may be performed using two oligonucleotideprimers flanking the polymorphic segment of repetitive DNA to amplifythe SSR region.

Following amplification, genotype of test material revealed by eachmarker can be scored by electrophoresis of the amplification products.Scoring of marker genotype is based on the size of the amplifiedfragment, which correlates to the number of base pairs of the fragment.While variation in the primer used or in the laboratory procedures canaffect the reported fragment size, relative values should remainconstant regardless of specific primer or laboratory used. Whencomparing varieties, it may be beneficial to have all profiles performedin the same lab. Primers that can be used are publically available andmay be found in, for example, CottonGen (Yu et al., CottonGen: agenomics, genetics and breeding database for cotton research,” NucleicAcids Research 42 (D1):D1229-D1236,2013).

A genotypic profile of cotton cultivar UA 107 can be used to identify aplant comprising variety UA 107 as a parent, since such plants willcomprise the same homozygous alleles as variety UA 107. Because thecotton variety at inbred stage is essentially homozygous at all relevantloci, most loci should have only one type of allele present. Incontrast, a genetic marker profile of an F₁ progeny should be the sum ofthose parents, e.g., if one parent was homozygous for allele X at aparticular locus, and the other parent homozygous for allele Y at thatlocus, then the F₁ progeny will be XY (heterozygous) at that locus.Subsequent generations of progeny produced by selection and breeding areexpected to be of genotype XX (homozygous), YY (homozygous), or XY(heterozygous) for that locus position. When the F₁ plant is selfed orsibbed for successive filial generations, the locus should be either Xor Y for that position.

In addition, plants and plant parts substantially benefiting from theuse of variety UA 107 in their development, such as cotton cultivar UA107 comprising a backcross conversion, transgene, or genetic sterilityfactor, may be identified by having a molecular marker profile with ahigh percent identity to cotton variety UA 107. Such a percent identitymight be 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5% or99.9% identical to cotton variety UA 107.

A genotypic profile of cultivar UA 107 also can be used to identifyessentially derived varieties and other progeny varieties developed fromthe use of cultivar UA 107, as well as cells and other plant partsthereof. Plants of the invention include any plant having at least 90%,91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 99.9% of themarkers in the genotypic profile, and that retain 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%,94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 99.9% of the morphological andphysiological characteristics of cultivar UA 107 when grown under thesame conditions. Such plants may be developed using markers well knownin the art. Progeny plants and plant parts produced using variety UA 107may be identified, for example, by having a molecular marker profile ofat least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 76%,77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%,91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96% 97%, 98%, 99%, or 99.5% geneticcontribution from cotton variety UA 107, as measured by either percentidentity or percent similarity. Such progeny may be furthercharacterized as being within a pedigree distance of variety UA 107,such as within 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 or less cross pollinations to a cottonplant other than variety UA 107, or a plant that has variety UA 107 as aprogenitor. Unique molecular profiles may be identified with othermolecular tools, such as SNPs and RFLPs.

Methods for Genetic Engineering of Cotton

With the advent of molecular biological techniques that have allowed theisolation and characterization of genes that encode specific proteinproducts, scientists in the field of plant biology developed a stronginterest in engineering the genome of plants (genetic engineering) tocontain and express foreign genes, or additional, or modified versionsof native, or endogenous, genes (perhaps driven by different promoters)in order to alter the traits of a plant in a specific manner. Plantsaltered by genetic engineering are often referred to as ‘geneticallymodified’. Such foreign additional and/or modified genes are referred toherein collectively as “transgenes.” Over the last fifteen to twentyyears several methods for producing transgenic plants have beendeveloped, and the present invention, in particular embodiments, alsorelates to transformed versions of the claimed cultivar.

Plant transformation involves the construction of an expression vectorwhich will function in plant cells. Such a vector comprises DNAcomprising a gene under control of or operatively linked to a regulatoryelement (for example, a promoter). The expression vector may contain oneor more such operably linked gene/regulatory element combinations. Thevector(s) may be in the form of a plasmid, and can be used alone or incombination with other plasmids, to provide transformed cotton plants,using transformation methods as described below to incorporatetransgenes into the genetic material of the cotton plant(s).

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, includingbiological and physical, plant transformation protocols. See, forexample, Miki, et al., “Procedures for Introducing Foreign DNA intoPlants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glickand Thompson (Eds.), CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, pp. 67-88 (1993). Inaddition, expression vectors and in vitro culture methods for plant cellor tissue transformation and regeneration of plants are available. See,for example, Gruber, et al., “Vectors for Plant Transformation” inMethods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick and Thompson(Eds.), CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, pp. 89-119 (1993).

A. Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation:

One method for introducing an expression vector into plants is based onthe natural transformation system of Agrobacterium. See, for example,Horsch, et al., Science, 227:1229 (1985). A. tumefaciens and A.rhizogenes are plant pathogenic soil bacteria which geneticallytransform plant cells. The Ti and Ri plasmids of A. tumefaciens and A.rhizogenes, respectively, carry genes responsible for genetictransformation of the plant. See, for example, Kado, C. I., Crit. Rev.Plant Sci., 10:1 (1991). Descriptions of Agrobacterium vector systemsand methods for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer are provided byGruber, et al., supra, Miki, et al., supra, and Moloney, et al., PlantCell Rep., 8:238 (1989). See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055 (Townsend andThomas), issued Oct. 8, 1996.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is a widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells, including cotton. An advantageof the technique is that DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues,thereby bypassing the need for regeneration of an intact plant from aprotoplast. Modern Agrobacterium transformation vectors are capable ofreplication in E. coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenientmanipulations (Klee et al., Bio. Tech., 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover,recent technological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio. Tech., 3(7):629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055). One efficient means for transformation of cotton inparticular is transformation and regeneration of cotton hypocotylexplants following inoculation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens fromprimary callus development, embryogenesis, embryogenic callusidentification, transgenic cotton shoot production and the developmentof transgenic plants, as is known in the art.

B. Direct Gene Transfer:

Several methods of plant transformation, collectively referred to asdirect gene transfer, have been developed as an alternative toAgrobacterium-mediated transformation. A generally applicable method ofplant transformation is microprojectile-mediated transformation whereinDNA is carried on the surface of microprojectiles measuring 1 μm to 4μm. The expression vector is introduced into plant tissues with abiolistic device that accelerates the microprojectiles to speeds of 300m/s to 600 m/s which is sufficient to penetrate plant cell walls andmembranes. Sanford, et al., Part. Sci. Technol., 5:27 (1987); Sanford,J. C., Trends Biotech., 6:299 (1988); Klein, et al., Bio/technology,6:559-563 (1988); Sanford, J. C., Physiol Plant, 7:206 (1990); Klein, etal., Bio/technology, 10:268 (1992). See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,580(Christou, et al.), issued May 14, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,783 (Tomes,et al.), issued Jun. 21, 1994.

Another method for physical delivery of DNA to plants is sonication oftarget cells. Zhang, et al., Bio/technology, 9:996 (1991).Alternatively, liposome and spheroplast fusion have been used tointroduce expression vectors into plants. Deshayes, et al., EMBO 1,4:2731 (1985); Christou, et al., PNAS, 84:3962 (1987). Direct uptake ofDNA into protoplasts using CaCl₂ precipitation, polyvinyl alcohol, orpoly-L-ornithine has also been reported. Hain, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet.,199:161 (1985) and Draper, et al., Plant Cell Physiol. 23:451 (1982).Electroporation of protoplasts and whole cells and tissues has also beendescribed. Donn, et al., In Abstracts of VIIth International Congress onPlant Cell and Tissue Culture IAPTC, A2-38, p. 53 (1990); D'Halluin, etal., Plant Cell, 4:1495-1505 (1992); and Spencer, et al., Plant Mol.Biol., 24:51-61 (1994).

Following transformation of cotton target tissues, expression ofselectable marker genes allows for preferential selection of transformedcells, tissues, and/or plants, using regeneration and selection methodsnow well known in the art.

The methods described herein for transformation would typically be usedfor producing a transgenic variety. The transgenic variety could then becrossed, with another (non-transformed or transformed) variety, in orderto produce a new transgenic variety. Alternatively, a genetic traitwhich has been engineered into a particular cotton cultivar using thetransformation techniques described could be moved into another cultivarusing traditional backcrossing techniques that are well known in theplant breeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be usedto move an engineered trait from a public, non-elite variety into anelite variety, or from a variety containing a foreign gene in its genomeinto a variety or varieties which do not contain that gene. As usedherein, “crossing” can refer to a simple X by Y cross, or the process ofbackcrossing, depending on the context.

Expression Vectors for Cotton Transformation: Marker Genes

Expression vectors include at least one genetic marker operably linkedto a regulatory element (for example, a promoter) that allowstransformed cells containing the marker to be either recovered bynegative selection (i.e., inhibiting growth of cells that do not containthe selectable marker gene), or by positive selection (i.e., screeningfor the product encoded by the genetic marker). Many commonly usedselectable marker genes for plant transformation are well known in thetransformation arts, and include, for example, genes that code forenzymes that metabolically detoxify a selective chemical agent which maybe an antibiotic or an herbicide, or genes that encode an altered targetwhich is insensitive to the inhibitor. A few positive selection methodsare also known in the art.

One commonly used selectable marker gene for plant transformation is theneomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII), which, when under the control ofplant regulatory signals, confers resistance to kanamycin. Fraley, etal., PNAS, 80:4803 (1983). Another commonly used selectable marker geneis the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene which confers resistance tothe antibiotic hygromycin. Vanden Elzen, et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 5:299(1985).

Additional selectable marker genes of bacterial origin that conferresistance to antibiotics include gentamycin acetyl transferase,streptomycin phosphotransferase, and aminoglycoside-3′-adenyltransferase, the bleomycin resistance determinant. Hayford, et al.,Plant Physiol., 86:1216 (1988); Jones, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 210:86(1987); Svab, et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 14:197 (1990); Hille, et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 7:171 (1986). Other selectable marker genes conferresistance to herbicides such as glyphosate, glufosinate, or bromoxynil.Comai, et al., Nature, 317:741-744 (1985); Gordon-Kamm, et al., PlantCell, 2:603-618 (1990); and Stalker, et al., Science, 242:419-423(1988).

Other selectable marker genes for plant transformation that are not ofbacterial origin include, for example, mouse dihydrofolate reductase,plant 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthase and plantacetolactate synthase. Eichholtz, et al., Somatic Cell Mol. Genet.,13:67 (1987); Shah, et al., Science, 233:478 (1986); Charest, et al.,Plant Cell Rep., 8:643 (1990).

Another class of marker genes for plant transformation requiresscreening of presumptively transformed plant cells rather than directgenetic selection of transformed cells for resistance to a toxicsubstance such as an antibiotic. These genes are particularly useful toquantify or visualize the spatial pattern of expression of a gene inspecific tissues and are frequently referred to as reporter genesbecause they can be fused to a gene or gene regulatory sequence for theinvestigation of gene expression. Commonly used genes for screeningpresumptively transformed cells include 0-glucuronidase (GUS),0-galactosidase, luciferase, and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase.Jefferson, R. A., Plant Mol. Biol. Rep., 5:387 (1987); Teeri, et al.,EMBO J., 8:343 (1989); Koncz, et al., PNAS, 84:131 (1987); DeBlock, etal., EMBO 1, 3:1681 (1984).

In vivo methods for visualizing GUS activity that do not requiredestruction of plant tissue are available. Molecular Probes Publication2908, IMAGENE GREEN, pp. 1-4 (1993) and Naleway, et al., J. Cell Biol.,115:151a (1991). However, these in vivo methods for visualizing GUSactivity have not proven useful for recovery of transformed cellsbecause of low sensitivity, high fluorescent backgrounds, andlimitations associated with the use of luciferase genes as selectablemarkers.

More recently, a gene encoding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has beenutilized as a marker for gene expression in prokaryotic and eukaryoticcells. Chalfie, et al., Science, 263:802 (1994). GFP and mutants of GFPmay be used as screenable markers.

Expression Vectors for Cotton Transformation: Promoters

Genes included in expression vectors must be driven by a nucleotidesequence comprising a regulatory element (for example, a promoter).Several types of promoters are now well known in the transformationarts, as are other regulatory elements that can be used alone or incombination with promoters.

As used herein, “promoter” includes reference to a region of DNAupstream from the start of transcription and involved in recognition andbinding of RNA polymerase and other proteins to initiate transcription.A “plant promoter” is a promoter capable of initiating transcription inplant cells. Examples of promoters under developmental control includepromoters that preferentially initiate transcription in certain tissues,such as leaves, roots, seeds, fibers, xylem vessels, tracheids, orsclerenchyma. Such promoters are referred to as “tissue-preferred.”Promoters which initiate transcription only in certain tissue arereferred to as “tissue-specific.” A “cell type” specific promoterprimarily drives expression in certain cell types in one or more organs,for example, vascular cells in roots or leaves. An “inducible” promoteris a promoter which is under environmental control. Examples ofenvironmental conditions that may effect transcription by induciblepromoters include anaerobic conditions or the presence of light.Tissue-specific, tissue-preferred, cell type specific, and induciblepromoters constitute the class of “non-constitutive” promoters. A“constitutive” promoter is a promoter which is active under mostenvironmental conditions.

A. Inducible Promoters:

An inducible promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression incotton. Optionally, the inducible promoter is operably linked to anucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linkedto a gene for expression in cotton. With an inducible promoter the rateof transcription increases in response to an inducing agent.

Any inducible promoter can be used in the instant invention. See Ward,et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 22:361-366 (1993). Exemplary induciblepromoters include, but are not limited to, that from the ACEI systemwhich responds to copper (Mett, et al., PNAS, 90:4567-4571 (1993)); In2gene from maize which responds to benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners(Hershey, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 227:229-237 (1991) and Gatz, et al.,Mol. Gen. Genet., 243:32-38 (1994)); or Tet repressor from Tn10 (Gatz,et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 227:229-237 (1991)). A particularly preferredinducible promoter is a promoter that responds to an inducing agent towhich plants do not normally respond. An exemplary inducible promoter isthe inducible promoter from a steroid hormone gene, the transcriptionalactivity of which is induced by a glucocorticosteroid hormone (Schena,et al., PNAS, 88:0421 (1991)).

B. Constitutive Promoters:

A constitutive promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression incotton or the constitutive promoter is operably linked to a nucleotidesequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linked to a genefor expression in cotton.

Many different constitutive promoters can be utilized in the instantinvention. Exemplary constitutive promoters include, but are not limitedto, the promoters from plant viruses such as the 35S promoter from CaMV(Odell, et al., Nature, 313:810-812 (1985)) and the promoters from suchgenes as rice actin (McElroy, et al., Plant Cell, 2:163-171 (1990));ubiquitin (Christensen, et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 12:619-632 (1989) andChristensen, et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 18:675-689 (1992)); pEMU (Last,et al., Theor. Appl. Genet., 81:581-588 (1991)); MAS (Velten, et al.,EMBO J., 3:2723-2730 (1984)); and maize H3 histone (Lepetit, et al.,Mol. Gen. Genet., 231:276-285 (1992) and Atanassova, et al., PlantJournal, 2 (3): 291-300 (1992)).

The ALS promoter, Xbal/Ncol fragment 5′ to the Brassica napus ALS3structural gene (or a nucleotide sequence similarity to said Xbal/Ncolfragment), represents a particularly useful constitutive promoter. SeePCT Application No. WO 96/30530.

C. Tissue-Specific or Tissue-Preferred Promoters:

A tissue-specific promoter is operably linked to a gene for expressionin cotton. Optionally, the tissue-specific promoter is operably linkedto a nucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operablylinked to a gene for expression in cotton. Plants transformed with agene of interest operably linked to a tissue-specific promoter producethe protein product of the transgene exclusively, or preferentially, ina specific tissue.

Any tissue-specific or tissue-preferred promoter can be utilized in theinstant invention. Exemplary tissue-specific or tissue-preferredpromoters include, but are not limited to, a root-preferred promoter,such as that from the phaseolin gene (Murai, et al., Science, 23:476-482(1983) and Sengupta-Gopalan, et al., PNAS, 82:3320-3324 (1985)); aleaf-specific and light-induced promoter, such as that from cab orrubisco (Simpson, et al., EMBO J., 4(11):2723-2729 (1985) and Timko, etal., Nature, 318:579-582 (1985)); an anther-specific promoter, such asthat from LAT52 (Twell, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 217:240-245 (1989)); apollen-specific promoter, such as that from Zm13 (Guerrero, et al., Mol.Gen. Genet., 244:161-168 (1993)); or a microspore-preferred promoter,such as that from apg (Twell, et al., Sex. Plant Reprod., 6:217-224(1993)).

Signal Sequences for Targeting Proteins to Subcellular Compartments

Transport of protein produced by transgenes to a subcellularcompartment, such as the chloroplast, vacuole, peroxisome, glyoxysome,cell wall, or mitochondrion, or for secretion into the apoplast, isaccomplished by means of operably linking the nucleotide sequenceencoding a signal sequence to the 5′ and/or 3′ region of a gene encodingthe protein of interest. Targeting sequences at the 5′ and/or 3′ end ofthe structural gene may determine, during protein synthesis andprocessing, where the encoded protein is ultimately compartmentalized.

The presence of a signal sequence directs a polypeptide to either anintracellular organelle or subcellular compartment or for secretion tothe apoplast. Many signal sequences are known in the art. See, forexample, Becker, et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 20:49 (1992); Close, P. S.,Master's Thesis, Iowa State University (1993); Knox, C., et al., PlantMol. Biol., 9:3-17 (1987); Lerner, et al., Plant Physiol., 91:124-129(1989); Fontes, et al., Plant Cell, 3:483-496 (1991); Matsuoka, et al.,PNAS, 88:834 (1991); Gould, et al., J. Cell. Biol., 108:1657 (1989);Creissen, et al., Plant J., 2:129 (1991); Kalderon, et al., Cell,39:499-509 (1984); Steifel, et al., Plant Cell, 2:785-793 (1990).

Cotton Cultivar UA 107 Further Comprising a Transgene

Transgenes and transformation methods provide means to engineer thegenome of plants to contain and express heterologous genetic elements,including but not limited to foreign genetic elements, additional copiesof endogenous elements, and/or modified versions of native or endogenousgenetic elements, in order to alter at least one trait of a plant in aspecific manner. Any heterologous DNA sequence(s), whether from adifferent species or from the same species, which are inserted into thegenome using transformation, backcrossing, or other methods known to oneof skill in the art are referred to herein collectively as transgenes.The sequences are heterologous based on sequence source, location ofintegration, operably linked elements, or any combination thereof. Oneor more transgenes of interest can be introduced into cotton cultivar UA107. Transgenic variants of cotton cultivar UA 107 plants, seeds, cells,and parts thereof or derived therefrom are provided. Transgenic variantsof UA 107 comprise the physiological and morphological characteristicsof cotton cultivar UA 107, such as listed in Table 1 as determined atthe 5% significance level when grown in the same environmentalconditions, and/or may be characterized or identified by percentsimilarity or identity to UA 107 as determined by SSR or other molecularmarkers. In some examples, transgenic variants of cotton cultivar UA 107are produced by introducing at least one transgene of interest intocotton cultivar UA 107 by transforming UA 107 with a polynucleotidecomprising the transgene of interest. In other examples, transgenicvariants of cotton cultivar UA 107 are produced by introducing at leastone transgene by introgressing the transgene into cotton cultivar UA 107by crossing.

In one example, a process for modifying cotton cultivar UA 107 with theaddition of a desired trait, said process comprising transforming acotton plant of cultivar UA 107 with a transgene that confers a desiredtrait is provided. Therefore, transgenic UA 107 cotton cells, plants,plant parts, and seeds produced from this process are provided. In someexamples one more desired traits may include traits such as herbicideresistance, insect resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acidmetabolism, abiotic stress resistance, site-specific geneticrecombination, modified carbohydrate metabolism or modified cotton fibercharacteristics. The specific gene may be any known in the art or listedherein, including but not limited to a polynucleotide conferringtolerance or resistance to an ALS-inhibitor herbicide, imidazolinone,sulfonylurea, protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitors, hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitors, glyphosate, glufosinate,triazine, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), dicamba, broxynil,metribuzin, or benzonitrile herbicides; a polynucleotide encoding aBacillus thuringiensis polypeptide, a polynucleotide encoding a phytase,a fatty acid desaturase (e.g., FAD-2, FAD-3), galactinol synthase, araffinose synthetic enzyme, a sucrose phosphate synthase nucleic acid;or a polynucleotide conferring resistance to plant pathogens.

Foreign Protein Genes and Agronomic Genes

With transgenic plants according to the present invention, a foreignprotein can be produced in commercial quantities. Thus, techniques forthe selection and propagation of transformed plants, which are wellunderstood in the art, yield a plurality of transgenic plants which areharvested in a conventional manner, and a foreign protein then can beextracted from a tissue of interest or from total biomass. Proteinextraction from plant biomass can be accomplished by known methods whichare discussed, for example, by Heney and Orr, Anal. Biochem., 114:92-6(1981).

According to an embodiment, the transgenic plant provided for commercialproduction of foreign protein is a cotton plant. In another embodiment,the biomass of interest is lint or seed. For the relatively small numberof transgenic plants that show higher levels of expression, a geneticmap can be generated, primarily via conventional RFLP, PCR, and SSRanalysis, which identifies the approximate chromosomal location of theintegrated DNA molecule. For exemplary methodologies in this regard, seeGlick and Thompson, Methods in Plant Molecular Biology andBiotechnology, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 269:284 (1993). Map informationconcerning chromosomal location is useful for proprietary protection ofa subject transgenic plant. If unauthorized propagation is undertakenand crosses made with other germplasm, the map of the integration regioncan be compared to similar maps for suspect plants, to determine if thelatter have a common parentage with the subject plant. Map comparisonswould involve hybridizations, RFLP, PCR, SSR and sequencing, all ofwhich are conventional techniques.

Likewise, by means of the present invention, agronomic genes can beexpressed in transformed plants. More particularly, plants can begenetically engineered to express various phenotypes of agronomicinterest. Exemplary genes and methods implicated in this regard include,but are not limited to, those categorized below:

A. Genes that Confer Resistance to Pests or Disease and that Encode:

1. Plant disease resistance genes. Plant defenses are often activated byspecific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene(R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr)gene in the pathogen. A plant variety can be transformed with clonedresistance gene to engineer plants that are resistant to specificpathogen strains. See, for example, Jones, et al., Science, 266:789(1994) (cloning of the tomato Cf-9 gene for resistance to Cladosporiumfulvum); Martin, et al., Science, 262:1432 (1993) (tomato Pto gene forresistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato encodes a protein kinase);Mindrinos, et al., Cell, 78:1089 (1994) (Arabidopsis RSP2 gene forresistance to Pseudomonas syringae).

2. A gene conferring resistance to a pest, such as nematodes. See, e.g.,PCT Application No. WO 96/30517; PCT Application No. WO 93/19181.

3. A Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof or a syntheticpolypeptide modeled thereon. See, for example, Geiser, et al., Gene,48:109 (1986), who disclose the cloning and nucleotide sequence of a Btδ-endotoxin gene. Moreover, DNA molecules encoding δ-endotoxin genes canbe purchased from American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., forexample, under ATCC Accession Nos. 40098, 67136, 31995, and 31998.

4. A lectin. See, for example, the disclosure by Van Damme, et al.,Plant Molec. Biol., 24:25 (1994), who disclose the nucleotide sequencesof several Clivia miniata mannose-binding lectin genes.

5. A vitamin-binding protein such as avidin. See PCT Application No. US93/06487. The application teaches the use of avidin and avidinhomologues as larvicides against insect pests.

6. An enzyme inhibitor, for example, a protease or proteinase inhibitoror an amylase inhibitor. See, for example, Abe, et al., J. Biol. Chem.,262:16793 (1987) (nucleotide sequence of rice cysteine proteinaseinhibitor); Huub, et al., Plant Molec. Biol., 21:985 (1993) (nucleotidesequence of cDNA encoding tobacco proteinase inhibitor I); Sumitani, etal., Biosci. Biotech. Biochem., 57:1243 (1993) (nucleotide sequence ofStreptomyces nitrosporeus α-amylase inhibitor); and U.S. Pat. No.5,494,813 (Hepher and Atkinson, issued Feb. 27, 1996).

7. An insect-specific hormone or pheromone, such as an ecdysteroid andjuvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or anantagonist or agonist thereof. See, for example, the disclosure byHammock, et al., Nature, 344:458 (1990), of baculovirus expression ofcloned juvenile hormone esterase, an inactivator of juvenile hormone,Gade and Goldsworthy (Eds. Physiological System in Insects, ElsevierAcademic Press, Burlington, Mass., 2007), describing allostatins andtheir potential use in pest control; and Palli et al. (Vitam. Horm.,73:59-100, 2005), disclosing use of ecdysteroid and ecdysteroid receptorin agriculture. The diuretic hormone receptor (DHR) was identified inPrice et al. (Insect Mol. Biol., 13:469-480, 2004) as a candidate targetof insecticides.

8. An insect-specific peptide or neuropeptide which, upon expression,disrupts the physiology of the affected pest. For example, see thedisclosures of Regan, J. Biol. Chem., 269:9 (1994) (expression cloningyields DNA coding for insect diuretic hormone receptor) and Pratt, etal., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 163:1243 (1989) (an allostatin isidentified in Diploptera puntata). See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,317 toTomalski, et al., who disclose genes encoding insect-specific, paralyticneurotoxins.

9. An insect-specific venom produced in nature by a snake, a wasp, etc.For example, see Pang, et al., Gene, 116:165 (1992), for disclosure ofheterologous expression in plants of a gene coding for a scorpioninsectotoxic peptide.

10. An enzyme responsible for a hyper-accumulation of a monoterpene, asesquiterpene, a steroid, a hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoidderivative, or another non-protein molecule with insecticidal activity.

11. An enzyme involved in the modification, including thepost-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule. Forexample, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme,a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, aphosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, achitinase, and a glucanase, whether natural or synthetic. See PCTApplication No. WO 93/02197 in the name of Scott, et al., whichdiscloses the nucleotide sequence of a callase gene. DNA molecules whichcontain chitinase-encoding sequences can be obtained, for example, fromthe ATCC under Accession Nos. 39637 and 67152. See also, Kramer, et al.,Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol., 23:691 (1993), who teach the nucleotidesequence of a cDNA encoding tobacco hornworm chitinase, and Kawalleck,et al., Plant Molec. Biol., 21:673 (1993), who provide the nucleotidesequence of the parsley ubi4-2 polyubiquitin gene.

12. A molecule that stimulates signal transduction. For example, see thedisclosure by Botella, et al., Plant Molec. Biol., 24:757 (1994), ofnucleotide sequences for mung bean calmodulin cDNA clones and Griess, etal., Plant Physiol., 104:1467 (1994), who provide the nucleotidesequence of a maize calmodulin cDNA clone.

13. A hydrophobic moment peptide. See PCT Application No. WO 95/16776(disclosure of peptide derivatives of Tachyplesin which inhibit fungalplant pathogens) and PCT Application No. WO 95/18855 (teaches syntheticantimicrobial peptides that confer disease resistance).

14. A membrane permease, a channel former or a channel blocker. Forexample, see the disclosure of Jaynes, et al., Plant Sci., 89:43 (1993),of heterologous expression of a cecropin-β lytic peptide analog torender transgenic tobacco plants resistant to Pseudomonas solanacearum.

15. A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom. Forexample, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plantcells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease developmenteffected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, aswell as by related viruses. See, Beachy, et al., Ann. Rev. Phytopathol.,28:451 (1990). Coat protein-mediated resistance has been conferred upontransformed plants against alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus,tobacco streak virus, potato virus X, potato virus Y, tobacco etchvirus, tobacco rattle virus and tobacco mosaic virus. Id.

16. An insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom.Thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in theinsect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect. See,Taylor, et al., Abstract #497, Seventh Int'l Symposium on MolecularPlant-Microbe Interactions (Edinburgh, Scotland) (1994) (enzymaticinactivation in transgenic tobacco via production of single-chainantibody fragments).

17. A virus-specific antibody. See, for example, Tavladoraki, et al.,Nature, 366:469 (1993), who show that transgenic plants expressingrecombinant antibody genes are protected from virus attack. Additionalmeans of inducing whole-plant resistance to a pathogen includemodulation of the systemic acquired resistance (SAR) or pathogenesisrelated (PR) genes, for example genes homologous to the Arabidopsisthaliana NIM1/NPR1/SAI1, and/or increasing salicylic acid production(Ryals et al., Plant Cell, 8:1809-1819, 1996).

18. A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogenor a parasite. Thus, fungal endo-α-1, 4-D-polygalacturonases facilitatefungal colonization and plant nutrient release by solubilizing plantcell wall homo-α-1,4-D-galacturonase. See, Lamb, et al., Bio/technology,10:1436 (1992). The cloning and characterization of a gene which encodesa bean endopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein is described by Toubart,et al., Plant 1, 2:367 (1992).

19. A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant. Forexample, Logemann, et al., Bio/technology, 10:305 (1992), have shownthat transgenic plants expressing the barley ribosome-inactivating genehave an increased resistance to fungal disease.

20. Plant defensins may be used to provide resistance to fungalpathogens (Thomma et al., Planta, 216:193-202, 2002).

B. Genes that Confer Resistance to an Herbicide:

1. An herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as animidazolinone or a sulfonylurea. Exemplary genes in this category codefor mutant ALS and AHAS enzyme as described, for example, by Lee et al.,EMBO J., 7:1241, 1988; Gleen et al., Plant Molec. Biology, 18:1185-1187,1992; Miki et al., Theor. App. Genet., 80:449, 1990.

2. Glyphosate (resistance conferred by mutant5-enolpyruvlshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and aroA genes,respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate(phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) and Streptomyceshygroscopicus PAT bar genes), and pyridinoxy or phenoxy proprionic acidsand cyclohexones (ACCase inhibitor-encoding genes). See, for example,U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,835 to Shah, et al., which discloses the nucleotidesequence of a form of EPSP which can confer glyphosate resistance. A DNAmolecule encoding a mutant aroA gene can be obtained under ATCCAccession No. 39256, and the nucleotide sequence of the mutant gene isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,061 to Comai. European PatentApplication No. 0 333 033 to Kumada, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374to Goodman, et al., disclose nucleotide sequences of glutaminesynthetase genes which confer resistance to herbicides such asL-phosphinothricin. The nucleotide sequence of a PAT gene is provided inEuropean Application No. 0 242 246 to Leemans, et al. DeGreef, et al.,Bio/technology, 7:61 (1989), describe the production of transgenicplants that express chimeric bar genes coding for PAT activity.Exemplary of genes conferring resistance to phenoxy proprionic acids andcyclohexones, such as sethoxydim and haloxyfop are the Accl-S1, Accl-S2,and Accl-S3 genes described by Marshall, et al., Theor. Appl. Genet.,83:435 (1992). U.S. Patent Application No: 20030135879 describesisolation of a gene for dicamba monooxygenase (DMO) from Psueodmonasmaltophilia which is involved in the conversion of a herbicidal form ofthe herbicide dicamba to a non-toxic 3,6-dichlorosalicylic acid and thusmay be used for producing plants tolerant to this herbicide.

3. An herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbAand gs+ genes) or a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene). Przibila, et al.,Plant Cell, 3:169 (1991), describe the transformation of Chlamydomonaswith plasmids encoding mutant psbA genes. Nucleotide sequences fornitrilase genes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,648 to Stalker, andDNA molecules containing these genes are available under ATCC AccessionNos. 53435, 67441, and 67442. Cloning and expression of DNA coding for aglutathione S-transferase is described by Hayes, et al., Biochem. 1,285:173 (1992). Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) is the target of thePPO-inhibitor class of herbicides; a PPO-inhibitor resistant PPO genewas recently identified in Amaranthus tuberculatus (Patzoldt et al.,PNAS, 103(33):12329-2334, 2006). The herbicide methyl viologen inhibitsCO.sub.2 assimilation. Foyer et al. (Plant Physiol, 109:1047-1057, 1995)describe a plant overexpressing glutathione reductase (GR) which isresistant to methyl viologen treatment.

4. Siminszky (Phytochemistry Reviews, 5:445-458, 2006) describes plantcytochrome P450-mediated detoxification of multiple, chemicallyunrelated classes of herbicides.

5. Other examples of herbicide resistance have been described, forinstance, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,803,501; 6,448,476; 6,248,876; 6,225,114;6,107,549; 5,866,775; 5,804,425; 5,633,435; 5,463,175.

C. Genes that Confer or Contribute to a Value-Added Trait, Such as:

1. Modified fatty acid metabolism, for example, by transforming a plantwith an antisense gene of stearyl-ACP desaturase to increase stearicacid content of the plant. See Knultzon, et al., PNAS, 89:2624 (1992).

2. Decreased phytate content: (a) Introduction of a phytase-encodinggene would enhance breakdown of phytate, adding more free phosphate tothe transformed plant. See, for example, Van Hartingsveldt, et al.,Gene, 127:87 (1993), for a disclosure of the nucleotide sequence of anAspergillus niger phytase gene; and (b) A gene could be introduced thatreduced phytate content. For example, in maize, this could beaccomplished by cloning and then reintroducing DNA associated with thesingle allele which is responsible for maize mutants characterized bylow levels of phytic acid. See, Raboy, et al., Maydica, 35:383 (1990).

3. Modified carbohydrate composition effected, for example, bytransforming plants with a gene coding for an enzyme that alters thebranching pattern of starch. See, Shiroza, et al., J. Bacteol., 170:810(1988) (nucleotide sequence of Streptococcus mutantsfructosyltransferase gene); Steinmetz, et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 20:220(1985) (nucleotide sequence of Bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene);Pen, et al., Bio/technology, 10:292 (1992) (production of transgenicplants that express Bacillus lichenifonnis α-amylase); Elliot, et al.,Plant Molec. Biol., 21:515 (1993) (nucleotide sequences of tomatoinvertase genes); Søgaard, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 268:22480 (1993)(site-directed mutagenesis of barley α-amylase gene); and Fisher, etal., Plant Physiol., 102:1045 (1993) (maize endosperm starch branchingenzyme II).

4. Abiotic stress includes dehydration or other osmotic stress,salinity, high or low light intensity, high or low temperatures,submergence, exposure to heavy metals, and oxidative stress.Delta-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (PSCS) from mothbean has beenused to provide protection against general osmotic stress.Mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (mtlD) from E. coli has been used toprovide protection against drought and salinity. Choline oxidase (codAfrom Arthrobactor globiformis) can protect against cold and salt. E.coli choline dehydrogenase (betA) provides protection against salt.Additional protection from cold can be provided by omega-3-fatty aciddesaturase (fad7) from Arabidopsis thaliana. Trehalose-6-phosphatesynthase and levansucrase (SacB) from yeast and Bacillus subtilis,respectively, can provide protection against drought (summarized fromAnnex II Genetic Engineering for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants,Consultative Group On Intemational Agricultural Research TechnicalAdvisory Committee). Overexpression of superoxide dismutase can be usedto protect against superoxides, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,878to Thomas et al.

D. Genes that Confer Male Sterility:

Male sterility genes can increase the efficiency with which hybrids aremade, in that they eliminate the need to physically emasculate the plantused as a female in a given cross. Where one desires to employmale-sterility systems, it may be beneficial to also utilize one or moremale-fertility restorer genes. For example, where cytoplasmic malesterility (CMS) is used, hybrid crossing requires three inbred lines:(1) a cytoplasmically male-sterile line having a CMS cytoplasm; (2) afertile inbred with normal cytoplasm, which is isogenic with the CMSline for nuclear genes (“maintainer line”); and (3) a distinct, fertileinbred with normal cytoplasm, carrying a fertility restoring gene(“restorer” line). The CMS line is propagated by pollination with themaintainer line, with all of the progeny being male sterile, as the CMScytoplasm is derived from the female parent. These male sterile plantscan then be efficiently employed as the female parent in hybrid crosseswith the restorer line, without the need for physical emasculation ofthe male reproductive parts of the female parent.

The presence of a male-fertility restorer gene results in the productionof fully fertile F₁ hybrid progeny. If no restorer gene is present inthe male parent, male-sterile hybrids are obtained. Examples ofmale-sterility genes and corresponding restorers which could be employedwith the plants of the invention are well known to those of skill in theart of plant breeding. Examples of such genes include CMS-D2-2, CMS-hir,CMS-DS, CMS-D4, and CMS-Cl. Fertility can be restored to CMS-D2-2 by theD2 restorer in which the restorer factor(s) was introduced from thegenome of G. harknessii Brandegee (D2-2). Microsporogenesis in both CMSsystems aborts during the premeiotic stage. One dominant restorer genefrom the DS restorer was identified to restore fertility of CMS-DS. TheD2 restorer for CMSD2-2 also restores the fertility of CMS-DS, CMS-hir,and CMS-Cl.

E. Genes that Improve Cotton Fiber Characteristics:

Fiber characteristics such as fiber quality of quantity representanother example of a trait that may be modified in cotton varieties. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,588 describes transgenic cotton plantstransformed with a sucrose phosphate synthase nucleic acid to alterfiber characteristics such as strength, length, fiber fineness, fibermaturity ratio, immature fiber content, fiber uniformity, andmicronaire. Cotton plants comprising one or more genes coding for anenzyme selected from the group consisting of endoxyloglucan transferase,catalase and peroxidase for the improvement of cotton fibercharacteristics are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,563,022. Cottonmodification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors preferentiallydirecting gene expression in ovary tissue, particularly in very earlyfruit development, utilized to express genes encoding isopentenyltransferase in cotton ovule tissue and modify the characteristics ofboll set in cotton plants and alter fiber quality characteristicsincluding fiber dimension and strength is discussed in U.S. Pat. No.6,329,570. A gene controlling the fiber formation mechanism in cottonplants is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,174.

Genes involved in lignin biosynthesis are described by Dwivedi et al.,Mol. Biol., 26:61-71, 1994; Tsai et al., Physiol., 107:1459, 1995; U.S.Pat. No. 5,451,514 (claiming the use of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenasegene in an antisense orientation such that the endogenous plant cinnamylalcohol dehydrogenase gene is inhibited).

F. Additional Traits:

Additional traits can be introduced into the cotton variety of thepresent invention. A non-limiting example of such a trait is a codingsequence which decreases RNA and/or protein levels. The decreased RNAand/or protein levels may be achieved through RNAi methods, such asthose described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,559 to Fire and Mellow. Further,reduction of the activity of specific genes (also known as genesilencing, or gene suppression) is desirable for several aspects ofgenetic engineering in plants.

Many techniques for gene silencing are well known to one of skill in theart, including but not limited to knock-outs (such as by insertion of atransposable element such as mu (Vicki Chandler, The Maize Handbook ch.118 (Springer-Verlag 1994) or other genetic elements such as the FRTsequence, used with the FLP recombinase (Zhu and Sadowski, J. Biol.Chem., 270:23044-23054, 1995), the LOX sequence, used with CRErecombinase (Sauer, Mol. Cell. Biol., 7:2087-2096, 1987), or other sitespecific integration sites, antisense technology (see, e.g., Sheehy etal. (1988) PNAS USA 85:8805-8809; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,107,065;5,453,566; and 5,759,829); co-suppression (e.g., Taylor (1997) PlantCell 9:1245; Jorgensen (1990) Trends Biotech. 8(12):340-344; Flavell(1994) PNAS USA 91:3490-3496; Finnegan et al. (1994) Bio/Technology 12:883-888; and Neuhuber et al. (1994) Mol. Gen. Genet. 244:230-241); RNAinterference (Araji et al. (2014) Plant Physiology 164:1191-1203; Napoliet al. (1990) Plant Cell 2:279-289; U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,323; Sharp(1999) Genes Dev. 13:139-141; Zamore et al. (2000) Cell 101:25-33; andMontgomery et al. (1998) PNAS USA 95:15502-15507), virus-induced genesilencing (Burton, et al. (2000) Plant Cell 12:691-705; and Baulcombe(1999) Curr. Op. Plant Bio. 2:109-113); target-RNA-specific ribozymes(Haseloff et al. (1988) Nature 334: 585-591); hairpin structures (Smithet al. (2000) Nature 407:319-320; WO 99/53050; and WO 98/53083);MicroRNA (Aukerman& Sakai (2003) Plant Cell 15:2730-2741); ribozymes(Steinecke et al. (1992) EMBO J. 11:1525; and Perriman et al. (1993)Antisense Res. Dev. 3:253); oligonucleotide mediated targetedmodification (e.g., WO 03/076574 and WO 99/25853); Zn-finger targetedmolecules (e.g., WO 01/52620; WO 03/048345; and WO 00/42219); and othermethods or combinations of the above methods known to those of skill inthe art.

It may also be desirable to make cotton plants more tolerant to or moreeasily transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Expression of p53 andiap, two baculovirus cell-death suppressor genes, inhibited tissuenecrosis and DNA cleavage. Additional targets can include plant-encodedproteins that interact with the Agrobacterium Vir genes; enzymesinvolved in plant cell wall formation; and histones, histoneacetyltransferases and histone deacetylases (reviewed in Gelvin,Microbiology & Mol. Biol. Reviews, 67: 16-37, 2003).

Single Locus Conversion

When the term “cotton plant” is used in the context of the presentinvention, this also includes any single locus conversions of thatvariety. The term “single locus converted plant” or “single geneconverted plant” refers to those cotton plants which are developed by aplant breeding technique called backcrossing or via genetic engineeringwherein essentially all of the desired morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of a variety are recovered in addition to the singlegene transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique or viagenetic engineering. Backcrossing methods can be used with the presentinvention to improve or introduce a characteristic into the variety. Theterm “backcrossing” as used herein refers to the repeated crossing of ahybrid progeny back to the recurrent parent, i.e., backcrossing 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more times to the recurrent parent. The parentalcotton plant which contributes the gene for the desired characteristicis termed the “nonrecurrent” or “donor parent”. This terminology refersto the fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in thebackcross protocol and therefore does not recur. The parental cottonplant to which the gene or genes from the nonrecurrent parent aretransferred is known as the recurrent parent as it is used for severalrounds in the backcrossing protocol (Poehlman & Sleper (1994); Fehr(1987)). In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety ofinterest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrentparent) that carries the single gene of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a cotton plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the desired morphological andphysiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered inthe converted plant, in addition to the single transferred gene from thenonrecurrent parent, as determined at the 5% significance level whengrown in the same environmental conditions.

The backcross process may be accelerated by the use of genetic markers,such as Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al.,Nucleic Acids Res., 18:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified PolymorphicDNAs (RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), SequenceCharacterized Amplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed PolymeraseChain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs)(EP 534 858, specifically incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety), and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al.,Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998) to identify plants with the greatestgenetic complement from the recurrent parent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single gene of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired gene from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphological,constitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross. One ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable, agronomicallyimportant trait to the plant. The exact backcrossing protocol willdepend on the characteristic or trait being altered to determine anappropriate testing protocol. Although backcrossing methods aresimplified when the characteristic being transferred is a dominantallele, a recessive allele may also be transferred. In this instance itmay be necessary to introduce a test of the progeny to determine if thedesired characteristic has been successfully transferred.

Many single gene traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new variety but that can beimproved by backcrossing techniques. A genetic locus conferring thetraits may or may not be transgenic. Examples of these traits includebut are not limited to, male sterility, waxy starch, herbicideresistance, resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, insectresistance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrialusage, yield stability, and yield enhancement. These genes are generallyinherited through the nucleus, but may be inherited through thecytoplasm. Several of these are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,959,185;5,973,234; and 5,977,445, the disclosures of which are specificallyhereby incorporated by reference.

Direct selection may be applied where a genetic locus acts as a dominanttrait. An example of a dominant trait is the herbicide tolerance trait.For this selection process, the progeny of the initial cross are sprayedwith the herbicide prior to the backcrossing. The spraying eliminatesany plants which do not have the desired herbicide tolerancecharacteristic, and only those plants which have the herbicide tolerancegene are used in the subsequent backcross. This process is then repeatedfor all additional backcross generations.

Tissue Culture and In Vitro Regeneration of Cotton Plants

Further reproduction of the variety can occur by tissue culture andregeneration. Tissue culture of various tissues of cotton andregeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. Forexample, reference may be had to Komatsuda, T., et al., Crop Sci.,31:333-337 (1991); Stephens, P. A., et al., Theor. Appl. Genet.,82:633-635 (1991); Komatsuda, T., et al., Plant Cell, Tissue and OrganCulture, 28:103-113 (1992); Dhir, S., et al. Plant Cell Rep., 11:285-289(1992); Pandey, P., et al., Japan J Breed., 42:1-5 (1992); and Shetty,K., et al., Plant Science, 81:245-251 (1992); as well as U.S. Pat. No.5,024,944 issued Jun. 18, 1991 to Collins, et al., and U.S. Pat. No.5,008,200 issued Apr. 16, 1991 to Ranch, et al. Thus, another aspect ofthis invention is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiationproduce cotton plants having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of cotton cultivar UA 107.

As used herein, the term “tissue culture” indicates a compositioncomprising isolated cells of the same or a different type or acollection of such cells organized into parts of a plant. Exemplarytypes of tissue cultures are protoplasts, calli, plant clumps, and plantcells that can generate tissue culture that are intact in plants orparts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, flowers, seeds, leaves, stems,roots, root tips, anthers, pistils, and the like. Means for preparingand maintaining plant tissue culture are well known in the art. By wayof example, a tissue culture comprising organs has been used to produceregenerated plants. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,959,185; 5,973,234; and U.S. Pat.No. 5,977,445, described certain techniques.

An important ability of a tissue culture is the capability to regeneratefertile plants. This allows, for example, transformation of the tissueculture cells followed by regeneration of transgenic plants. Fortransformation to be efficient and successful, DNA must be introducedinto cells that give rise to plants or germ-line tissue.

Plants typically are regenerated via two distinct processes; shootmorphogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. Shoot morphogenesis is theprocess of shoot meristem organization and development. Shoots grow outfrom a source tissue and are excised and rooted to obtain an intactplant. During somatic embryogenesis, an embryo (similar to the zygoticembryo), containing both shoot and root axes, is formed from somaticplant tissue. An intact plant rather than a rooted shoot results fromthe germination of the somatic embryo.

Shoot morphogenesis and somatic embryogenesis are different processesand the specific route of regeneration is primarily dependent on theexplant source and media used for tissue culture manipulations. Whilethe systems are different, both systems show variety-specific responseswhere some lines are more responsive to tissue culture manipulationsthan others. A line that is highly responsive in shoot morphogenesis maynot generate many somatic embryos. Lines that produce large numbers ofembryos during an induction step may not give rise to rapidly growingproliferative cultures. Therefore, it may be desired to optimize tissueculture conditions for each cotton line. These optimizations may readilybe carried out by one of skill in the art of tissue culture throughsmall-scale culture studies. In addition to line-specific responses,proliferative cultures can be observed with both shoot morphogenesis andsomatic embryogenesis. Proliferation is beneficial for both systems, asit allows a single, transformed cell to multiply to the point that itwill contribute to germ-line tissue.

Embryogenic cultures can also be used successfully for regeneration,including regeneration of transgenic plants, if the origin of theembryos is recognized and the biological limitations of proliferativeembryogenic cultures are understood. Biological limitations include thedifficulty in developing proliferative embryogenic cultures and reducedfertility problems (culture-induced variation) associated with plantsregenerated from long-term proliferative embryogenic cultures. Some ofthese problems are accentuated in prolonged cultures. The use of morerecently cultured cells may decrease or eliminate such problems.

Tables

Cotton cultivar UA 107 was compared to DP 393 and UA 48 in replicatedfield tests at four Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station sites in2013 through 2016, as shown in Tables 2-5, and was tested as ‘Ark0701-17’. The test locations included the Northeast Research andExtension Center at Keiser on Sharkey clay (very-fine, smectitic,thermic Chromic Epiaquerts), the Judd Hill Cooperative Research Site atJudd Hill on Dundee silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic TypicEndoaqualfs), the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station at Marianna onCallaway silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, thermic Glossaquic Fragiudalfs),and the Southeast Branch Experiment Station at Rohwer on Hebert siltloam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Aeric Epiaqualfs).

Each field test was arranged in a randomized complete block design withfour replications of two-row plots (12-14 m×1 m). Standard productionpractices with furrow irrigation were followed in each test. Percentageof open bolls was visually rated within 1-3 days before or after firstapplication of defoliants to the plots. Seedcotton yields weredetermined by machine picking for all plots. Hand-harvested bollsamples, collected from two of the four replications, were ginned on alaboratory gin. Variables determined using the gin data and samplesincluded lint fraction, seed index, lint index, fibers per seed, seedper area, fiber density, and HVI (High Volume Instrument) fiberparameters. Fiber density, an estimate of the number of fibers per mm²seed surface area, was determined using a regression equation tocalculate seed surface area based on fuzzy seed weights (Groves andBourland, 2010). Procedures for collecting and processing boll sampleswere the same as described for the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test(Bourland et al., 2017). The average lint percentage for an entry overtwo replications at each location was used to convert seedcotton yieldto lint yield. All data were analyzed by SAS v. 9.1 PROC GLM (SASInstitute, Cary, N.C.). Years and replications were considered to berandom, while entry and location were fixed.

Leaves, stems, and bracts were sampled at the Keiser test site in 2013through 2016. Leaf and stem pubescence were rated using the ratingsystem established by Bourland et al. (2003). Bracts were sampled andmarginal trichome density was determined using methods of Bourland andHornbeck (2007). Leaf and bract data were analyzed by SAS v. 9.1 PROCGLM (SAS Institute, Cary, N.C.) with years and replications being randomand entries being fixed.

Cotton cultivar UA 107 was also evaluated in the 2015 Regional Breeders'Testing Network (RBTN; http://rbtn.cottoninc.com/files/), which includedagronomic field tests at 12 locations from Suffolk, Va. to West Side,Calif. UA 107 was also compared to other conventional varieties at fourlocations in the 2016 Arkansas Conventional Cotton Variety Test(Bourland et al., 2017).

Table 2 shows the lint yields in pounds per acre of cotton cultivar UA107 compared to check cultivars (DP 393 and UA 48) at locations in theMississippi River Delta region of Arkansas from 2013 through 2016.Locations are arranged from north (left) to south (right) in the table.

TABLE 2 Cultivar Keiser Judd Hill Marianna Rohwer UA 107 750 1167 13431177 DP 393 786 1078 1236 1092 UA 48 673 1025 1142 959 LSD0.10 81 63 6184

As shown in Table 2, the lint yields of cotton cultivar UA 107 exceededthose of both check cultivars at all locations except Keiser, where itsyield was equal to the higher yielding check. The relatively low yieldsof all lines at Keiser were primarily due to production problems in 2013and 2015.

Table 3 shows the yield and lint component-related parameters of cottoncultivar UA 107 compared to two check cultivars over years from 2013 to2016 at Arkansas test sites. Each parameter was determined in tests atKeiser, Judd Hill, Marianna, and Rohwer. Lint fraction, seed index, lintindex and fibers per seed, and fiber density were determined from bollsamples taken from two replications per test. Lint yield and seed peracre were determined on four replications per test. Location by lineinteraction was significant (P=0.10) for lint yield, seed per acre, andlint index.

TABLE 3 Lint Lint Seed/ Fiber yield Frac- acre Lint Seed Fibers/ density(lb/ tion (no. × Index index seed (no./ Cultivar acre) (%) 10⁶) (g) (g)(no.) mm²) UA 107 1109 40.3 6.046 8.3 12.1 17692 158 DP 393 1048 39.36.375 7.5 11.2 15514 146 UA 48 951 37.7 5.615 7.6 12.4 14013 123 LSD0.1060 0.5 0.439 0.3 0.4 396 6

As shown in Table 3, the lint yields of cotton cultivar UA 107 exceededyields of each check cultivar. Together with Table 2, these data suggestthat UA 107 is better adapted to silt loam soils than clay soils.Compared to the check cultivars, UA 107 derived its higher yield from anincrease in lint per seed (lint index) rather than seed per area.According to Lewis et al. (2000), increased reliance on high lint indexrelative to seeds produced per area should contribute to more stableyield production. The higher lint index and higher fibers per seed of UA107 may be partly attributed to its higher seed index. Fiber density ofUA 107 was much higher than DP 393 and UA 48. The measurement of fiberdensity attempts to compensate for variation in seed size by estimatingthe number of fibers per unit area of seed surface area. Groves et al.(2016) suggested that fiber density could serve as a selection criterionfor increasing lint yield and yield stability without negativelyaffecting fiber quality traits.

Cotton cultivar UA 107 was also evaluated in the 2015 Regional Breeders'Testing Network (RBTN; http://rbtn.cottoninc.com/files/), which includedagronomic field tests at 12 different U.S. locations from Suffolk, Va.to West Side, Calif. Among the 28 entries in the 2015 RBTN, cottoncultivar UA 107 produced the second highest lint yield over all 12locations, and equaled the highest yielding entry at all locationsexcept Suffolk (VA), Tifton (GA), Keiser (AR), and Lubbock (Tex.). Theseyields indicate that cotton cultivar UA 107 is broadly adapted tocontrasting growing conditions.

Table 4 shows the morphological and host plant resistance traits forcotton cultivar UA 107 and check cultivars in 2013-2016. The percentageof open bolls (visually estimated) measurements were taken at theapproximate time of defoliation in each test. The location by lineinteraction was significant (P=0.10). The leaf and stem pubescence wasvisually rated on 6 plants per plot for 4 repetitions at the Keiser, ARsite in 2013-2016 from 1 (smooth) to 9 (pilose) using the rating systemdeveloped by Bourland et al. (2003). The number of marginal bracttrichomes was determined on 6 plants per plot for 4 repetitions at theKeiser, AR site in 2013-2016 using methods described by Bourland andHornbeck (2007). The percentages of flowers with discoloured antherswere determined in 8 repetitions of tests at the Keiser, AR site in2014-2016, with all lines included in the same test each year.Discolored anthers were due to feeding by tarnished plant bugs, Lyguslineolaris, for which the susceptible check was a Frego-bract breedingline. The year by line interaction was not significant (P=0.10). Thepercentage of surviving plants showing Fusarium wilt comes fromevaluations at the 2015 National Cotton Fusarium Wilt Test in Tallassee,Ala.; the susceptible check was ‘Rowden’ and the resistant check wasM315.

Response to tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois))was determined in small plot field tests conducted at Keiser, AR, in2014-2016. Single-row plots, 6 m×1 m, were replicated 8 times in arandomized complete block (RCB) design, and managed to encouragetarnished plant bug populations. Brown or black discoloured anthersindicate tarnished plant bug feeding (Maredia et al., 1994). Plots weresequentially examined for five to eight days (six flowers per plot perday) over a two-week period in August of each year. Damaged flowers, asindicated by discolored anthers, were enumerated. A collective measureof percentage of damaged flowers over the sequential samples wasdetermined for each plot.

All pest resistance data collected in Arkansas, except bacterial blightdata, were analyzed using SAS v. 9.1 PROC GLM (SAS Institute, Cary,N.C.) with years and replications as random and entries being fixed.Cotton cultivar UA 107 was evaluated for responses to fusarium wilt(caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlect, F. sp. vasinfectum (Atk.) Snyd. &Hans) in the 2015 National Cotton Fusarium Wilt Test at Tallassee, Ala.(Glass et al., 2015).

TABLE 4 Leaf Stem Bract Fusar- Dam- Plant Open pubes- pubes- trich- iumaged height bolls cence cence omes wilt flowers Cultivar (cm) (%) (1-9)(1-9) (no./cm) (%) (%) UA 107 103 64.4 1.3 2.6 21.3 80 62 DP 393 10157.1 2.8 5.1 31.6 — 56 UA 48 95 55.6 2.0 4.4 27.8 — 66 Res. check — — —— — 81 — Sus. check — — — — — 69 84 LSD0.05 2 1.2 0.5 0.4 1.9 7 5

As shown in Table 4, cotton cultivar UA 107 was earlier maturing (basedon percentage of open bolls), but produced taller plants than either DP393 or UA 48. The taller plants of UA 107 may allow it to be moretolerant to stress than other early maturing lines that produce shorterplant structure. Compared to DP 393 and UA 48, UA 107 had lower trichomedensity on leaves, stems and bract margins. Based on these data, UA 107would be classified as a smooth-leaf variety. Lower values for leafpubescence rating and marginal bract trichomes should contribute to lesstrash in ginned lint. All other morphological traits of UA 107 weresimilar to DP 393 and UA 48.

During selection, UA 107 plants were inoculated with multiple races(including race 18) of Xanthomonas citri ssp. malvacearum (ex Smith1901) Schaad et al. 2007, the causal agent of bacterial blight.Resistance to the multiple races conveys resistance to all known U.S.races of this pathogen. Cotton cultivar UA 107 exhibited resistance tobacterial blight in annually produced seed increase blocks inoculatedwith the pathogen. UA 107 produced stands equal to the resistant checkin the presence of fusarium wilt in the 2015 National Cotton FusariumWilt Test.

Data from the 2014-2016 tarnished plant bug field test indicated that UA107 was moderately resistant to this pest. Its response to tarnishedplant bug was equal to UA 48, but more susceptible than DP 393 in fieldtests conducted in 2014 through 2016. All three varieties were moreresistant to tarnished plant bug than the susceptible check.

Table 5 shows the fiber traits for cotton cultivar UA 107 compared totwo check cultivars in 2013-2016 at the Arkansas test sites. The fiberparameters were determined in tests at Keiser, Judd Hill, Marianna, andRohwer. Location by line interaction was significant (P=0.10) only forquality score and micronaire. Fiber parameters were determined by HVI onlint from boll samples taken from two replications per test. The qualityscore (Q-score) is an index based on four fiber parameters (relativeweight): fiber length (50%), micronaire (25%), uniformity (15%) andstrength (10%).

TABLE 5 Uni- Fiber Fiber formity Fiber elon- Quality Micro- length indexStrength gation Cultivar score naire (in.) (%) (g/tex) (%) UA 107 704.55 1.22 85.8 32.4 6.3 DP 393 54 4.85 1.17 85.2 33.0 6.8 UA 48 83 4.981.27 86.8 36.5 5.7 LSD0.05 6 0.13 0.02 0.7 0.8 0.4

As shown in Table 5, the Q-score of cotton cultivar UA 107 exceededthose of DP 393, but was less than UA 48. Compared to DP 393, the higherQ-scores for UA 107 were primarily associated with longer fiber lengthand lower micronaire. Both fiber strength and length uniformity index ofUA 107 were equal to DP 393, but lower than UA 48. The fiber elongationof UA 107 (not included in the Q-score) was lower than DP 393 but higherthan UA 48.

Relative variation among fiber traits for UA 107 and DP 393 across the12 locations of the 2015 RBTN was similar to that found in the Arkansastests.

The use of the terms “a,” “an,” and “the,” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of valuesherein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referringindividually to each separate value falling within the range, unlessotherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated intothe specification as if it were individually recited herein. Forexample, if the range 10-15 is disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 arealso disclosed. All methods described herein can be performed in anysuitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope ofthe invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specificationshould be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essentialto the practice of the invention.

Deposit Information

A deposit of the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansasproprietary Cotton Cultivar UA 107 disclosed above and recited in theappended claims has been made with the American Type Culture Collection(ATCC), 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110 under the termsof the Budapest Treaty. The date of deposit was Feb. 16, 2018. Thedeposit of 2,500 seeds was taken from the same deposit maintained byBoard of Trustees of the University of Arkansas since prior to thefiling date of this application. All restrictions will be irrevocablyremoved upon granting of a patent, and the deposit is intended to meetall of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.801-1.809. The ATCC AccessionNumber is PTA-124915. The deposit will be maintained in the depositoryfor a period of thirty years, or five years after the last request, orfor the enforceable life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will bereplaced as necessary during that period.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussedabove, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications,permutations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof. It is thereforeintended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter areinterpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions,and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plant of cotton cultivar UA 107, wherein arepresentative sample of seed of said cultivar was deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-124915.
 2. A plant part of the plant of claim 1,wherein the plant part comprises at least one cell of said plant.
 3. Theplant part of claim 2, further defined as pollen, a meristem, a cell, oran ovule.
 4. A seed of cotton cultivar UA 107, wherein a representativesample of seed of said cultivar was deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-124915.
 5. A cotton plant that expresses all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics of the plant of claim
 1. 6. A methodof producing a cotton seed, wherein the method comprises crossing theplant of claim 1 with itself or a second cotton plant.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the method comprises crossing the plant of cottoncultivar UA 107 with a second, distinct cotton plant to produce an F₁hybrid cotton seed.
 8. An F₁ cotton seed produced by the method of claim7.
 9. An F₁ cotton plant produced by growing the seed of claim
 8. 10. Acomposition comprising the seed of claim 4 comprised in plant seedgrowth media.
 11. The composition of claim 10, wherein the growth mediais soil or a synthetic cultivation medium.
 12. A plant of cottoncultivar UA 107 further comprising a single locus conversion, wherein arepresentative sample of seed of said cultivar was deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-124915.
 13. The plant of claim 12, wherein the singlelocus conversion comprises a transgene.
 14. A seed that produces theplant of claim
 12. 15. The seed of claim 14, wherein the single locuscomprises a nucleic acid sequence that enables site-specific geneticrecombination or confers a trait selected from the group consisting ofmale sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect or pest resistance, diseaseresistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, abiotic stress resistance,modified carbohydrate metabolism, and modified cotton fibercharacteristics.
 16. The seed of claim 15, wherein the single locusconfers tolerance to an herbicide selected from the group consisting ofglyphosate, sulfonylurea, imidazolinone, dicamba, glufosinate, phenoxypropionic acid, L-phosphinothricin, protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)inhibitors, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, hydroxyphenyl-pyruvatedioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitors, cyclohexanedione, triazine, benzonitrile,and bromoxynil.
 17. The seed of claim 15, wherein the trait is insectresistance and said single locus comprises a transgene encoding aBacillus thuringiensis (Bt) endotoxin.
 18. The seed of claim 14, whereinthe single locus comprises a transgene.
 19. The method of claim 7,wherein the method further comprises: (a) crossing a plant grown fromsaid F₁ hybrid cotton seed with itself or a different cotton plant toproduce a seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation; (b)growing a progeny plant of a subsequent generation from said seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation and crossing the progeny plantof a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant to produce aprogeny plant of a further subsequent generation; and (c) repeatingsteps (a) and (b) using said progeny plant of a further subsequentgeneration from step (b) in place of the plant grown from said F₁ hybridcotton seed in step (a), wherein steps (a) and (b) are repeated withsufficient inbreeding to produce an inbred cotton plant derived from thecotton cultivar UA
 107. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprisingcrossing said inbred cotton plant derived from the cotton cultivar UA107 with a plant of a different genotype to produce a seed of a hybridcotton plant derived from the cotton cultivar UA
 107. 21. A method ofproducing a genetically modified cotton plant, wherein the methodcomprises mutation, genome editing or gene silencing of the plant ofclaim
 1. 22. A genetically modified cotton plant produced by the methodof claim 21, wherein said plant comprises said mutation, genome editingor gene silencing and otherwise comprises all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of cotton cultivar UA
 107. 23. A method ofproducing a commodity plant product comprising obtaining the plant ofclaim 1, or a plant part thereof, and producing the commodity plantproduct from said plant or plant part thereof, wherein said commodityplant product is selected from the group consisting of lint, seed oil orseed.